


My Two Dads

by ramblesandshambles



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-06-08 19:33:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 27,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6870598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramblesandshambles/pseuds/ramblesandshambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Merle are not with original group but they find Sophia and have to raise her and keep her safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Sophia… put that book down. What did your dad tell you about reading that shit?” Merle Dixon tried to grab the mills and boon book out of the teenagers hand.

 

“It ain't shit… how else am I supposed to find out about sex with you two blushing like mad anytime I ask about it.” Sophia shot back at him. “Hector put his hand on her heaving…”

 

“Not listening…. Not listening.” Merle headed towards the stairs. “We are moving out in fifteen… be ready.”

 

“I’m always ready.” Sophia shot back. She flicked the book back open and turned it towards the sun light coming in from the upstairs of the library window.

 

It was their home. They had been living there pretty much since they found Sophia. She was getting taller and more like a woman than the little girl they found in an old farm house. The brothers had slipped into the house thinking it would be a good place to bed down for the night and hiding in one of the cupboards under the sink was the little scrap of a girl who was half starving.

 

Daryl had found her, opening the cupboard and swearing explicitly. Sophia had tried to make herself smaller. Daryl’s first instincts were to shut the door pretending he never saw her but he whispered shit to himself and reached in pulling her out. Sophia hissed and kicked out at him. He wrapped his arms around her trying to stop her from making noise and bringing the dead down on them.

 

“Shush little girl. Shush now… you hungry… you want to eat?” Daryl kinda crooned in her ear, he had her facing away from him because she was kicking about so bad. “I’m not gonna hurt you but you start yelling the dead will come. Then everyone is for themselves alright. Shush now.”

 

Sophia stilled in his arms, she knew he could overpower her and she was defeated. 

 

“You speak?” He asked her.

 

“Yes…”

 

“Daryl find anything good?” Merle Daryl’s older brother come into the kitchen seeing Daryl with his arms wrapped around the girl holding her still. “Fuck! Leave her let's go.”

 

“We can’t just leave her she’s just a little girl.” Daryl told him. “Not just gonna leave no kid especially a girl out here on her own.”

 

“Fine! I’m not gonna be watching her arse. She’s your responsibility right not mine.” Merle hissed like Sophia wasn’t even there like they were talking about walking a dog or something. “You are the one gonna be wiping her arse.”

 

“I can wipe my own arse!” Sophia answered him from the safety of Daryl’s arms. Merle threw his head back and chuckled. 

“Bet you can kid. You got a name.” Daryl asked her.

 

“Sophia.”

 

“Where are your people.” Merle asked her.

 

“We were with a big group. A big bunch of walkers went past and they chased me down the bank. Rick told me to stay where I was but one come back so I ran. I kept running. Everywhere I stopped more come. I’ve been here about five nights.”

 

“Shit kid. How far do you think you come? Where were you heading?” Merle asked her, they lead her to the lounge room. Merle started a fire and Daryl dug around in his pack giving her a bottle of water and a bar he had in there. They had some rabbits to skin and cook. They had pulled some wild carrots and sweet potato’s and had spotted this farmhouse in the distances and hopped it had a working fire where they could cook in safety and cook some food and rest.

 

“Do you know where they were heading?” Daryl asked her. He opened the front door looking about outside. There was still plenty of daylight about. They had time to scrounge in the gardens to find whatever there could be out there to eat also.

 

“Fort something?”

 

“Fort Benning?” Merle asked.

 

“I think so.”

 

“That place is overrun. No one will be staying there long.” Merle said.

 

“Come on kid. Lets go look in the garden. You can dig and pull the food. I’ll keep watch.” Daryl told her. 

 

“Out there?” Sophia looked like she was going to cry.

 

“You know how to kill them?” Merle asked her.

 

Sophia nodded her head quickly.  “Sort of… you have to go for the head. But I wasn’t allowed to have a knife or anything, I found this stick while I was up a tree. I could poke them through the eye and they would drop.”

 

“From the tree huh?”

 

“With a stick.” Sophia told him. Daryl tried not to laugh at her picking up a big stick she had, it had a pointy end and was really thick. Hell if that was her weapon of choice for now it was her weapon of choice. He was going to have to find her something better.


	2. Chapter 2

“If you are going to stay with us you gonna need to learn how to hunt and to use a knife.” Daryl told her. “Finish your drink and let's go.”

 

Sophia looked up, there was slight fear on her face. Daryl could tell it was from him and not from the thought of going outside. She did not trust him. He could not blame her, she did not know him and he had given her nothing to prove that she could trust him. She had only met him half an hour before.

 

“I ain’t gonna hurt you kid. Not unless you are thinking about stabbing me in the eye with your stick.” Daryl told her. “Don’t be scared of me now… if you are we can’t work as a team ok.”

 

Merle had disappeared into the house somewhere and called out there was still running water and they could clean up some, and even throw the kid in a bath or something. Both Daryl and Sophia could hear him stomping about upstairs. They heard the toilet flushing, and the water running like he was taking a shower or something.

 

“Ok…” Sophia didn’t sound so sure about going anywhere with Daryl. Especially outside where there could be all sorts of danger. “What if I make a mistake?”

 

“Well as long as we don’t get our arses bit we will be good ok. Let's go before Merle uses all the water.” Daryl told her.

 

“You won’t….”

 

“Won’t?”

 

“Get mad?”

 

Daryl looked at the little girl looking at him with her huge blue eyes. “I ain’t gonna get mad,”

 

“You sure?”

 

“I’m really sure. Sophia why are you scared I’m gonna get mad?” Daryl asked her, Sophia just shook her head and picked up her stick to follow him outside.

 

Daryl did not say anything else but she just followed him. He paused on the top of the steps. Listening and watching for any movement. Sophia come up beside him and he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving down the steps. He indicated with his hand to look about and listen to the noises she could hear.

 

Sophia cocked her head to the side to listen. She could not hear anything bad, she could hear the sound of a stream nearby and the sound of a soft breeze in the trees.

 

“What do you think?” Daryl asked her.

 

“Nothing, the wind… the creek....” Sophia listened longer. Nothing.

 

“Safe?” Daryl asked her giving her first lesson on safety.

 

“Safe… I think we can go. But keep listening and watching.” Sophia told him.

 

“Good girl.” Daryl moved down the steps. He was keeping an ear out watching and listening to all the sounds around him. Listening to Sophia’s foot fall committing it to memory. They walked together slowly taking in the surroundings of the farm yard. All the animals were gone. It looked like the owners just opened the gates and let them all free. Daryl looked around there were no strays.

 

“Was there anyone in the house when you arrived?” He asked Sophia.

 

“No… I think they were gone.”

 

“Think?”

 

“There was a walker in overalls on the porch. He chased me but I climbed a tree and he wandered off.”

 

“How long did you sit in the tree?”

 

“I had to pee up there... so a while.” Sophia told him. “I didn’t think he was ever gonna go… but there was a loud noise over the farm over there…” Sophia pointed to where a windmill was on the other side of the farm. There was a loose bit of tin on it. “It was banging so it went over there to look I guess.”

 

Sophia trailed behind Daryl. There were spades and hoes around the garden. Most of the food had been picked off by rabbits or wandering animals. There was still enough vegetables for them to dig. The ground was dry and there was no way Sophia could even get a spade in.

 

“You keep watch, don’t let anything bite my arse.” Daryl told her as he stood on the spade digging deep.

 

Sophia took the time to look about keeping a watch for walkers and watching Daryl at the same time. He still wore his crossbow on his back and he had knives at his side.

 

“You have kids?” Sophia asked him.

 

“No…”

 

“Where are you from?”

  
“Not far from here… about forty miles away. But our place got over run with dead.” Daryl told her. He gathered enough food to keep them going for days. They walked towards the well, Sophia carrying the basket. Daryl pumped the water while she washed the dirt off. His gaze was going everywhere and it was getting late. They needed to board up what they could on the house to keep them safe.


	3. Chapter 3

They were lucky that most of the windows had shutters on them. They could see Merle outside shutting the ones at the front of the house. Daryl sent Sophia inside to chop some of the food up to go into the stew and he went to help Merle shut the house up.

 

Merle and Daryl come in Sophia had chopped some vegetables and she was shuffling back and forwards in front of the fire unsure of whether she should have added it to the stew or not.

 

“I’m sorry,” She said as they come in. “But I put them in.”

 

“Good work kid.” Merle said to her. 

 

“What you sorry about?” Daryl asked her.

 

“Not asking… if that’s what you wanted.”

 

“We wanted dinner, why you so scared of our reaction?” Daryl asked her, Sophia looked away.

 

“In case you get mad…” She whispered.

 

“We ain’t gonna get mad…” Daryl was getting slightly mad that she thought he was going to get mad. “Who used to get mad at you?”

 

Sophia wrung her hands. “My dad… used to get mad at my mom… hit her…” She whispered the last part. “He’s dead.” She jutted her chin out at him.

 

“I ain’t gonna get mad ok… Merle’s not gonna get mad… no ones gonna lose their temper are we Merle?” Daryl said. He needed to talk to Merle and tell him not to lose his shit or shout like he did sometimes and scare her.  A scared kid who become a crying kid could bring a whole bunch of dead down on them. The last thing they needed was the kid to put them in a position that could get them all killed. 

 

“Nah princess, we gonna look after ya. We will try see if we can find your group ok.” Merle told her. Merle glanced at Daryl wondering if they were going to be dealing with a hysterical pre teen kid who was going to bring them a whole bunch of problems.

 

After dinner Daryl went through the drawers in the house and found Sophia some new clothes of sorts. A mismatched combination of a boy and the mother who lived here before them. He sorted her out a bath by heating the water on the fire and between him and Merle filling it up they managed for her to have a warm bath. He gave her some soap and told her to wash all the cooties away. She frowned at him and told him that only boys had cooties and maybe he should think about taking a bath next. The whole exchange had Merle in laughter as Daryl got sassed by the girl. Daryl through them both a dirty look and pointed to the stairs so she had no choice but to go and take a bath.

 

While she was in the bath both Merle and Daryl were downstairs talking quietly.

 

“What are we gonna do with a kid… a little girl of all things.” Merle said. Girls terrified Merle at the best of times but a pre teen girl who has a sassy mouth and knew nothing about anything who managed to stay alive somehow. He could not help but think that she was going to cause them one great big headache.

 

“Look after her. Teach her to look after herself I guess.” Daryl was not sure either. What the hell did they know about raising a little girl. They could only hope that they could find her group and get rid of her quick smart.

 

“She’s all your’s Daryl… I ain’t gonna be babysitting.” Merle told him. They talked between themselves until Sophia come back down looking clean and fresh. Daryl gave her another bowl of stew, she looked like she hadn’t eaten a good meal in a long time. They tried to look at the map to see if Sophia could spot any places she had been. She pointed to the quarry that they had been there a while and the last stop they had been to at a service station before they stopped on the highway when she lost her group. 

 

“Ok… we go back here then.” Merle pointed to the map. “We are gonna need a truck or car or something.”


	4. Chapter 4

They planned and went out to the barn to see if there was anything left behind. Merle could not believe his eyes seeing two road hogs in there. His eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

 

“No!” Daryl said. He looked them over, they looked like they could have been used for touring bikes because there were hard side bags, Daryl just couldn’t see how they could ride with Sophia.

 

“We could be there in half the time. Sophia could take turns riding behind us. I saw some leather jackets in the house. We could go soon. Just pack bags and we are gone.” Merle put up a good argument for taking the bikes, they had a truck before they were on foot. They had to leave it because of gas and the road was packed with cars and they couldn't get passed the jam.

 

“What if it rains and she gets wet and sick?” Daryl asked him.

 

“Shit are you her daddy now?”

 

“No but if she gets sick we might not be able to help her.” Daryl said.

 

“Ok daddy-O if it rains we stop and make sure she’s warm.” Merle teased Daryl. Daryl felt like punching Merle. He was just worried about the kid. She spent most of the night sobbing on a mattress in front of the fire for her mom until he sat down beside her and he didn’t know what to do. Sophia had crawled up the mattress putting her head on his lap and he had no choice but to stroke her hair until she slept. 

 

They spent the next morning working on the bikes, gassing them up with the gas for the mower in the shed. Sophia gathered clothes and few supplies for them all. Water bottles and food. Daryl packed it into the side bags and they were pretty much ready to go. They found three leather jackets. The one they put on Sophia was big but he made her wear about five layers of clothes underneath. She complained that she was going to be hot. Daryl told her that on the bike she would get cold.    
  


They found helmets and decided to use them. No hospitals or doctors were around anymore. They finished fastening the last few things to the bikes when they heard Sophia screaming.

 

Sophia was waiting of the front porch while the men were doing the last few moment things. They had told her to call out if any walker come near her they would hear her.

  
  


“Daryl…. Help! MERLE!!!!!!!” They could hear Sophia screaming from the house, both men raced from the barn Daryl pulling his weapon over his head to fire at will. Sophia was struggling with a real live person on the porch. “Help!”

 

“Let her go and I won’t kill you!” Daryl yelled as he raced forward.

 

“She’s claimed!” The man turned on Daryl, “I like them young!”

 

He was still holding onto Sophia and he went to lick her, Daryl fired a bolt right through the man’s eye. He dropped like a stone, Daryl could hear noise behind him. Sophia screamed and Daryl knew someone was coming behind him. He ducked and swung his crossbow with all his might. He could see Merle fighting off two men. Daryl could also see out the corner of his eye Sophia running down the porch steps. He was fighting with the man who was attacking him. It was all happening in slow motion. It was two on four right now and Merle was losing. Daryl did not know how he was going to fight his way out of this.

 

Sophia come in swinging her stick at one of the men who now had Merle on the ground. Daryl heard a crack, he did not know if it was the mans face of back Sophia had hit. Sophia’s stick was stronger than baseball bat they had joked with her last night. Sophia turned and swung at the mans head Daryl was struggling with. Merle managed to knock the man out he was left with. Daryl wondered if Sophia had been in little league before the turn. She was swinging her stick like she was taking a home run. The last two men tried to get her but they could not even touch her she moved to fast. 

Merle swing his own axe and took his guy out and Daryl landed a punch dropping the guy with him like a stone. Daryl stepped back, five men and Sophia had taken two of them out.  Merle was wiping off his face. He was really banged up. Daryl took a look at the man Sophia had taken out with one swing. She had cracked his head open. It kinda shocked him that she did that.

 

“Come on… let's go before they turn.” Daryl said. “Are you ok to ride Merle?”

 

“Think so.” Merle hissed, “I think my rib might be broke.”

 

“Lift it up and lets see.” Sophia said, she lifted Merle’s shirt and surprised them both by feeling along his ribs with what looked like expert hands. She noticed both men looking at her. “My ma… she had to have me check a lot to see if she needed to go to the ER or not.”

 

The men didn’t say anything. Sophia said they were not broken. They zipped up their jackets to leave. Sophia stopped looking at the men lying on the ground.

 

“What did he mean? I’d like it? Hard?” Sophia addressed her question at Daryl. He did not know what to say.

 

“He was a bad man. Your ma ever talk to you about bad men?” Daryl asked her.

 

“Yes, but my dad was a bad man, not like that though…” Sophia said quietly. "He just liked to hurt people..."

“Come on, lets go that one’s breathing funny and hopefully he will start eating the other bad men.” Merle said. 

 

They climbed on the bikes and Sophia held onto Daryl tight. She Closed her eyes and tried not to think about the bad men back at the farm. She felt safe with Daryl and even Merle even though Merle didn’t really want her around he still come running to help her.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

“How old do you think this is?” Merle whispered to Daryl. They come across a huge sign for Sophia written on the windscreen of a car. Telling her to wait there and they would come every day to check for her.

 

“How long has she been missing? I guess if they are coming every day to look for her they have to be near here right?” Daryl said quietly. 

 

Sophia had crawled into the car and was sitting holding onto a rag doll that had been left with the food and water. She was crying because she knew her mom had left her. Daryl did not know what to do with this kid. She kept crying and it made him feel really bad. 

 

“Sophia, how long were you alone?” Daryl stuck his head in the window of the car. “How many nights?”

 

“I don’t know… lots… I kept running and got lost.”

 

Daryl went out to talk with Merle again. There was nobody about and even the road did not bear any sign that someone had driven over it.

 

“Ok, we found her about twenty miles from here… so maybe she could run two or three miles a day, she said she been at the farm house for five nights or so… she’s been missing about three weeks. What makes you think someone is coming back for her?” Merle hissed at his brother. “They are long gone. What are we going to do with her now? We could leave her here...”

 

“Fuck no! Arsehole... I'll leave you here...We look after her. Lets spend a bit of time here and wait see if anyone shows up.” Daryl suggested. 

 

Merle did not think it was the best idea. They were really exposed out here. They were unsure because of the morning's events with the men at the farm. Merle wasn’t looking that great. They should really find a place to sleep for the night that was safe. Somewhere with an upstairs because what they could tell walkers could not climb stairs.

 

“We could try our luck up at that farm,” Daryl nodded his head towards the farmhouse they could see. It had a barn and there didn’t appear to have anyone there. There were no cars, no animals no anything.

 

They bedded down at the abandoned farm for the night. Daryl barricaded them inside the house. Sophia looked at him like he was crazy when he wheeled both motorbikes inside the farm house.

 

“So no one can spot them from the road.” He told her.

 

Merle was sleeping upstairs and Sophia and Daryl were sitting in the main bedroom upstairs. They had the last bit of sunlight coming in the room. Sophia decided she wanted to be near Daryl so she had dragged a mattress into the room announcing she was sharing. Daryl did not know if that was right or not but he was too tired to care. He was just happy she was no longer crying about missing her ma.

 

They stayed at the farm house five nights. Long enough for them to know that no one come back to check for Sophia and for Merle to recover. Both brothers were at a loss of what to do next. They had to protect Sophia and neither of them knew what to do next.

 

“We could find somewhere that’s self contained or a couple of buildings close together. We could find somewhere that new ages or rig up solar power and grow food or stuff.” Sophia suggested.

 

“And where would we find that?” Daryl looked at Sophia.

 

Sophia had been thumbing through a old newspaper that she had found, the last one that Daryl had not used to light the fire with.

 

“Here… the new library… its new aged.” Sophia turned it towards him. “Self contained… solar power. Its a new aged town. We were learning about this sort of stuff at school.”

 

Daryl took the paper and read it. It looked like something that could work for them. It even had its own water supply according to the article. Something about green tops of building and Solar everything.

 

“Merle… Merle… pack up we are moving out.”

  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present time. Carry on from chapter one.

Daryl was waiting in their kitchen for Merle and his daughter to come downstairs, he did not know when he started thinking of her like that but the amount of times he put his life on the line for her like any god damn daddy would. He could not even tell you the first time she called him dad, she just started one day as if testing him out to see what he would say. Daryl did not say anything just went about his business and then it stuck. It was a couple of years ago now if they were keeping track of the days and years. Close as they could tell was by the seasons. Daryl knew they were heading into a third winter so they had Sophia for nearly three years. 

 

She call Daryl dad and Merle Daddy-O. She’d laughed and ran from Merle up the curved stair case the first time she called Merle Daddy-O as a joke and now it kinda stuck as a nickname that even Daryl started calling him that. They had all sorts of nicknames for Sophia, ranging from sugar, princess and cupcake. Merle even called her a little bitch on more than one occasion. Sophia had both Dixon brothers wrapped around her little finger and there wasn't anything either men would do to help or give Sophia if they could get it for here.

But now Sophia was getting bigger, and asking all sorts of questions about growing up and as her body changed from little girl to teenager both Daryl and Merle managed to stumble their way through any questions she had. Daryl was glad they had a library full of books they could throw at her for her to find out things for herself also. Sophia also found Judy Blume novels and started asking questions about kissing, and boys. She become obsessed with the teen romance section that Daryl wondered if they should be hiding some of the books from her. Merle was of the option that if she was reading she wasn't badgering them with hundreds of questions about boys or other touchy subjects. They were also thankful that there it looked like there were no teenage boys around her. That would be their worst nightmare.

Daryl and Merle had also managed to stumble their way through Sophia's first period. Sophia had screamed the library down for Daryl from the bathroom insisting that she was going to turn into a walker because she was bleeding to death down there. He needed to stab her before she turned and ate them all. She was sobbing her heart out and she had locked the door so if she did turn she would not eat her dads. From behind the door Daryl and Merle managed to convince her that she was not dying. She was not about to turn. With their limited knowledge about girls bodies they gave her a short growing up talk and how girls become woman. Daryl hissed at Merle to go see if he could find a book or something so they could pass it under the gap in the door.

 When she finally come out it was a hour later all fixed up and embarrassed, Merle had done a quick run to a nearby store that was still fully stocked with women's stuff. He could not believe they had never thought that Sophia might need this sort of stuff and to talk to her about it before it happened. They really were shit parents. They were flying by the seat of their pants and they had no freaken idea of what they were doing. Merle thought he should of known about periods he had more girlfriends that Daryl had. He was still wet behind the ears according to Merle. She was still a little girl to both of them and they had not noticed her growing at all. Now she needed to talk to them about it but both men did not know that much about it.

 Daryl had passed the stuff through the door after he had read the directions for pads on the back of the package. He knew it was up to him to suck it up and try get her to use it and they might have to talk about tampons and stuff another day. When she was not so emotional. Sophia was already crying about that she was going to be a beacon for walkers. They should just toss her off the roof already, Daryl tried his hardest to use a soothing voice while Merle tried to joke with her that at least he only had to out run her now. Daryl punched him really hard in the arm when he said that. Sophia laughed at Merle being hit so things were starting to work out with her not being so emotional.

 

Sophia freaked out and worried that the walkers might come looking for her. She get her head around it. Daryl tried to assure her that there would be no way walkers could smell her or come after her. He managed to coax her out of the bathroom. Sophia was cramping and Merle was trying to read up on giving her pain meds and trying to heat a hot water bottle to give her to put on her back. The men were not prepared for the rush of hormones and the tears that come from the normally reasonable girl. She called them both pricks and went sobbing to her bed. Daryl had no idea what to do or how to fix her.

 

Lucky for them they had made the library their home so they had gone to the sex ed section and managed to find the right information to tell her. Daryl blushed like mad when he tried to give her boxes of tampons and pads and other girl stuff that Merle had got later on that day. He told her there were directions on the packages and that was about as much as he knew. Daryl wished like anything a random woman would walk through their small town. But there never was. Single or a few men come through. They always hid from them.

 

Last year Merle told him they needed to get her a bra or something because she was developing. Daryl did not know what the heck to do about that. Luckily the town they had been holed up in the stores had not been hit that hard by looters so they were able to get her new clothes and underwear easily. At least Sophia was able to gather the things she needed for herself. Pants and tee shirts jackets. Boots. Anything she wanted she got. She had stacks of bra's and underwear. More than Daryl thought she really would need. She also had hair dye and all sorts of things. 

About a month ago Daryl relented and let her colour her hair. They had been cutting it short because it was easier to keep than the long hair she had tried to grow, she wanted to dye it red so he thought what the hell it was probably going to be one of the most normal thing she would ever get to do. So he helped her. She dyed one half red and the other half black. They had laughed about it. Merle let Sophia experiment on his hair and he had bleached hair on the hair he had left and Daryl was sporting red and blonde streaks in his. He secretly couldn't wait until Sophia run out of hair products... it would only take a couple of years he thought. 

 

Daryl had caught her in the adult reading section of the library more than once and threatened to burn all the romance novels if she would not get her head out of the clouds about romance. It was no use talking to her because she had it in her head that one day he would find the woman of his dreams and marry her. And she would have a mom again. Daryl told her if there were any women left in the world they were likely to be dangerous and probably would try to kill them to take their food or something. Sophia shook her head and wanted to go out looking to see if they could find a woman. 

 

Merle laughed at the suggestion that they went out and just tried to find Daryl a woman. Daryl was getting tired of them both poking fun at him. The last woman he saw… well it was a walker. He had not clapped eyes on a real woman since the turn. Merle said he would be willing to take one for the team and go out looking for some women for them. Make their group stronger. Daryl just shook his head because Merle probably would go out looking if he let him and get his arse killed doing so... not from walkers but from the women. 

 

Sophia come down from where her area was. They kinda had made bedrooms of sorts out of book shelves to give each of them space to be alone if they wanted too. Over the colder winter months they were all pleased to have their own space. They stayed inside only going up to the rooftops to gather food and to have some exercise. They had raided the bed shop and they had the top of the lines beds each. Sophia had a real huge bed that when they lumped it back over to the library they did not even know how she could even sleep in it. For a long time she would sleep in Daryls bed. They put her to bed in her bed at the beginning of the night and by the morning she would be wrapped up in her duevt asleep across the end of Daryl's bed. It was only the past year that she had finally slept through the night feeling safe in the library.

 

“You ready?” Daryl asked Sophia.

 

“Yip… come on.” Sophia and Daryl slipped out the window and climbed up the fire escape to the roof top to check what was going on in the street and to do some gardening. Daryl and Merle had promised to take Sophia out tracking that afternoon. They went out every other day to keep on top of their game. Not to become lazy.

 


	7. Chapter 7

“Raise your hands and turn around real slow and no one gets hurt.” A woman pulled a gun on Merle as he innocently stumbled into their camp. They were playing hide and seek with Sophia. Merle was moving through the woods and Sophia was tracking him. She had found him twice already, they were on the last round. But he had not been keeping a real good eye on where he was going and tripped over a woman on the ground, a blonde. The two women alone, Merle never in a million years thought he would see another woman and she was holding him at gunpoint.

 

“Look I don’t mean you no harm…” Merle glanced at the woman on the ground. She was sweating and looked sick. “Please don’t shoot me... I'm Merle...”

 

“Who are you with, did they send you?” She asked him, she was gesturing with her other hand and her eyes looked wild. Merle was not sure that she would not shoot him by accident. 

 

“Carol we come three hundred miles… they can’t have tracked us this far…” The woman on the ground said. She was holding her side and she looked pretty close to deaths door.

 

“What do you want? You gonna take us back to your camp and try rape us?” The woman still had the gun pointed at Merle, Merle was shaking his head at the same time he was trying to calm her down the more he spoke to her the less likely she was to shoot him to kill him. He needed her just to lower the gun.

 

“Look lady… no offence… I ain’t like that… I’m just… fuck…” She clocked her gun and pointed at him letting him know it was going to be him or her. “Please… I have a daughter… if you kill me she’s only got my brother to protect her… you gonna leave her without someone to protect her? She's just a girl... you ain't gonna kill a guy with a little girl are you?”

 

“Bull shit! Where is she….” Carol waved the gun about. "You're lying!"

 

“We were practicing tracking…. She’s with Daryl… my brother… let me go and let's just pretend this never happened alright… and if you want somewhere safe you can come and I’ll get you something to help your friend here. She ain’t looking so good.” Merle knew he was pleading for his life. All this time he thought he would be bitten trying to save Sophia but now he was going to be killed by a crazy broad.

 

“Leave her out of it… she’s fine…”

 

“She don’t look fine…” Merle hissed at her.

 

“She will be fine… we just need to find somewhere safe.” The woman said.

 

“If you lower you weapon I can carry her and take you to our camp and we will see if we can fix her up alright… just don’t shoot me.” Merle suggested.

 

“No!”

 

“Carol please… I’m gonna die if we don’t get help…” The woman on the ground slurred. “If he’s lying I might turn and bite him. If he’s telling the truth I might not die…”

 

Merle looked at the woman again, she nodded that he could pick her friend up. Merle tucked his knife into the back of his pants and picked the woman up. She was a good looking broad but she was light as a feather and hot as can be. Even in the cool air. "Come on Carol... come on. " 

 

Merle let out a whistle calling his brother and Sophia. He knew they were nearby, he heard their foot fall a few minutes ago. He knew Daryl would have his bow trained on the woman who held him by gun point. He whistled again, the woman looked about when she heard a girls voice.

 

“Don’t shoot…” Sophia stepped out of the bush coming from behind a tree, Daryl still had his bow trained on the woman with the gun.

 

“Sophia!!!!!!!!!!’ Daryl shouted at she ran for the woman. He managed to stop her by wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back towards him. Sophia wanted to call out but she didn't because she wasn't about to bring a herd down on them.

 

“Sophia?” The woman asked.

 

“Mom?” Sophia said quietly, she was starting to cry they were moving toward each other.

 

Daryl let Sophia go but kept his weapon trained on the woman hugging Sophia. Daryl fired a bolt into a walker that was attracted to the noise. And before they knew it there were another five. Merle still had the woman in his arms and was helpless, Sophia and Daryl moved around him keeping him safe taking out the walkers. Carol started helping. There were just more coming. Sophia had a knife and Daryl was using his bow knocking the dead down.

 

“We need to go.” Daryl stabbed one more. They could see them coming through the trees, Merle didn’t need to be told twice. He flipped the woman over his shoulders and started moving.

 

“Go for the truck.” Daryl told Merle. “We will hold them off.”

 

“Come on…” Merle told the woman, she had her knife out and was fighting but she was weak and tired. “Come on… leave it, they will catch up.”

 

She took one last look at her daughter and the man with her trying to hold the walkers off. She had no choice because she knew Sophia would put herself at risk for her. She followed the first man and her friend two hundred yards into the woods where a SUV was parked. He was jogging Andrea in his arms and he expected Carol to keep up to keep them safe. He dumped Andrea in the back seat, she climbed in. The man climbed in and started the truck up and banged on the horn a few times. A signal she knew to let the others know they made it. He drove slowly and out of the trees the young teen ran followed by the other man. The SUV didn’t stop because there were more walkers than they realized. The girl managed to open the back door and throw herself in then help haul the other man in.

 

“Everyone ok?” Merle asked from the front seat.

 

“Good.” Come the male voice from the back seat. There was a great deal of puffing and panting. Sophia was leaning over the back seat whispering to one of the women. Merle drove fast into their town almost driving through some walkers that had gathered there. He made a sharp right turn and Carol and Andrea couldn’t believe their eyes and electric garage doors opened and they drove straight in to what looked like a basement of a library.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm away tomorrow. I might not be able to update this fic.

 

“Sophia… be careful…” Daryl grabbed hold of Sophia to stop her from following Merle and the women into the library from the internal stair case.. “She might be dangerous… or not like before”

 

Sophia was not listening and was trying to get into the building as fast as she could, Daryl made Sophia stop and listen to him and try to understand that she shouldn’t just go trusting her mom until they chatted with her for a while. The fact that she had her knife out the whole way back made Daryl weary.

 

“Thankyou…” Carol said to Merle. She had a knife in her hand still and was wary of him. The blonde was barely standing and had blood on the side of her leg. Merle picked her up and moved her to one of the couches. He quietly asked her if she had been bit. She lifted her tatty pants to show she had been sliced by a knife. It was red and inflamed it was oozing pus  it it was definitely infected.

 

“MOM!” Sophia flew down the stairs before Daryl could stop her. “Mom!” Sophia stopped just short of her mother, she looked her all over. She looked so frail and bruised that Sophia was scared to touch her. “Mom…” She whispered.

 

“Sophia?” She whispered, “Sophia… Sophia.” The woman was openingly crying. Stepping towards Sophia.

 

Daryl stepped forward pulling Sophia back before her mother could touch her. Sophia squawked at what he did. Merle stepped closer. Both Merle and Daryl moved in front of Sophia.

 

“You been bit?” Merle asked her.

 

“No… we got into a fight… with a bad group.” She whispered. “Sophia… oh my god….” Carol had been holding it in the whole way back wondering if she was in one bad nightmare.

 

“You touch one hair on her head the wrong way I will kill you.” Daryl said in a low tone. “One hair.”

 

“She’s my daughter I’m not going to hurt her.” Carol said.

 

“Dad please… mommy?” Sophia was torn between her protector and her mom. She knew there were bad people out there but her mom would not hurt her surely. Andrea was barely even awake on the couch

 

“We clear?” Daryl asked her.  


“Very clear…” She said. “I’m Carol…” She held out her hand to him. He just looked at it. Merle stepped forward shaking it and introduced himself and introduced Daryl. Daryl glared at her not taking her hand or anything.

 

“Who are you running from?” Daryl asked. “Will they come here.”

 

“I don’t know. We left a few days ago… four maybe… we have come miles and miles...” Carol said. She could not believe the way he was acting towards her. He did not trust her she could tell that. “We were heading to a old farm house we knew that we hoped had antibiotics upstairs.”

 

“You guess or you know” Merle asked her. “Sophia go get something to clean this wound up with.”

 

Sophia went to get their first aid kid leaving the adult alone.

 

“Look lady you fuck with my family I will finish you.” Daryl hissed at her.

 

“What?” Carol was clearly shocked at his words.

 

Sophia come back quickly with the first aid kit and handed it to Merle and he started to help clean Andrea up. He started cutting her pants off to get better access to the wound. They would clean it. Offer her a shower then try treat it with antibiotics.

 

“Sophia…” Daryl indicated for her to follow him. She did follow him to the back of the library to listen. “I know she’s your ma… but things are different now. Be careful.  Keep a watch. She could be bringing a whole lot of hell onto us.”

 

Sophia nodded.

  


“What do you think?” Merle asked Daryl both men went to go sort out the bathroom shower set up to get Andrea in there to clean her up so they could see what they were dealing with. They would have to possibly hold her upright to get the dirt and muck off her. Maybe Sophia would help them..

 

“I hope she’s not going to hurt Sophia again.”

 

“I don’t think she will… she looked shocked to see her. Emotional and shit.” Daryl said hopefully.

  


“Maybe it will turn out alright?” Merle said quietly.

  
“Why are they on her own… where has they  been and if she hurts Sophia I’ll kill her.” Daryl told him.

************************

 

“How did you end up with Merle and Daryl?” Carol asked Sophia. They had had no time to talk. Sophia and Carol had been moving flat stick to save Andrea. They had showered her. Merle had basically climbed into the shower to hold her upright fully clothed while Carol washed her. Merle looked everywhere but at the woman he was holding upright. Daryl was busy going through their clothes trying to find something for the woman to wear. He handed Carol a pair of boxers and a tee shirt thinking at least she would be covered and they could then have access to her wound. 

Carol was trying to bring the fever down and Sophia had shown her mother the range of antibiotics they had. When they first arrived at the library Merle and Daryl left her doing a raid to the local pharmacy because they knew if someone come into town that would be the first place that was hit. They took just about everything in there. Leaving some just in case someone was desperate for medication. They cleared most of the shelves with vitiams and other products they thought would come in handy for health. Right now Daryl was busy thumbing through a book he had taken from the local doctors surgery last year for the best way to treat Andrea. The pus smelt bad. Someone was going to have to stay awake and watch her all night in case she died with infection. They also had to try get food into her to build up her strength and her body to be able to deal with the antibiotics they were about to feed her.

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

“This is really good. Where did you get all this?” Carol gestured to the food that was out on the bench. Fresh fruit and vegetables sitting there looking fantastic to Carol. Sophia gestured to Carol to take and eat what ever she wanted to. 

 

Carol looked around the kitchen it was stocked, more than stocked. It had enough food for more than the three that were staying in the library.

 

“There’s an orchard a few miles over. We look after it.” Sophia shrugged, “Dad fiddled with the irrigation system to have it water everything. We learnt how to prune the trees and help the fruit. We bottle it and dry it. We have plenty of food for everyone.”

 

Sophia didn’t think her dads would mind her telling her mom they had more food than they knew what to do with. They were stockpiling for winter where they wouldn’t get out much. Daryl didn’t hunt much over winter and they dried meat and preserved what they could. It was a learning curve for all of them. They were doing a great job at storing food. Gearing up for winter. 

 

The only bad thing that Sophia knew was coming was that the Dixon men grew frustrated over the few winter months because they were tied to her and they didn’t go out hunting or just out in general just because they needed to blow off steam.

 

Last winter Merle set up a home gym in the back corner of the library it helped keep them busy. Both men had bulked up since she had joined them. Daryl had been known to jog on the treadmill for hours sometimes. Sophia was just pleased that they didn’t take their frustrations out on each other and argue and nitpick. 

 

They were running a freezer with Solar power and Sophia had taught the guys how to jar all the fruit they had and some of the vegetables. They used the library to the best of their ability. Also the fact that everything was free now they were able to take what they needed from the town and from peoples houses. It helped that they were in a forward thinking town. They had food piled up and stored in some of the business’s about because most of the town was new aged and run on solar energy.

 

Also when they had been through some of the houses in town they discovered some people were extreme couponers or similar because they had huge stockpiles pantries of food and supplies that they could just take. In the early days there were still people about. Daryl and Merle did not take any risks now with Sophia about. They certainly did not want to run into a bunch of men who would try and take Sophia from them. They were now super careful. But they had begun to wonder should they start looking for more people to pull into their group.

 

“We have shit on the roof…” Sophia told her mom. “My dad’s plant crap and we have a big pool up there with fish in it. Do you want fish? Or venison? I can cook you something?”

 

“Sophia….” Carol tried to scold her for saying shit but then shrugged realizing that it was probably silly for scolding her after she had not seen her daughter in such a long time. She took the plate of food offered and ate some, she sighed, “Its good shit!”

 

Sophia giggled then, so did Carol.

 

“We did look for you. For a week or more. But I thought you were gone.” Carol told her. “You have to know that.”

 

“Daryl found me… and Merle… They are my family now… you can stay?” Sophia almost pleaded with her. “They will let you stay if you want to… I don’t wanna leave them. I doubt they would let me leave anyway… they are a little bit protective.”

 

“I want to… but,” Carol started to say.

 

“But what?” Daryl come in through the window and heard the last sentence that Carol said.

 

“I was forced to leave my last group… I need to clear the air here and start fresh.” Carol said. “Andrea and I… we been together for a while, then we come across a group that were not that nice… now I think we have out run them.”

 

“Talk…” Daryl told her.

 

“No… she’s tired and hungry. Have a shower and change your clothes. Then we talk… tomorrow,” Sophia put herself between Daryl and Carol. “Please… Dad… she’s tired.”

 

Daryl lowered his eyes from Carol’s to Sophia’s and only because she was begging him to let her rest and shower first that Daryl backed off. He walked off and was out the window. He come back in with a hose and a bucket full of things they used for the shower. Merle followed Daryl in and went to check up on Andrea who was half awake watching them all. Thankful she did not have to get up and run. Two guys that had cared for Sophia for a few years they could trust.

  
  


“I could heat some water and you could have a bath?” Sophia told her. Carol nodded at the thought of a bath.

 

“Dad… heat some water for a bath.” Sophia called out to the feet she could see going out the window. She heard a grunt of a reply. “The toilet works… I don’t know where it goes but we have water and it flushes away if you need to go.”

  
“Thanks Soph… for being so kind.” Carol said quietly, her daughter had everything together but she was wary of Daryl, she just couldn't get the idea out of her head that someone would take such good care of Sophia just because. Sophia come back down holding about three different types of shower gel for her to use. Sophia was stopped on the way by Merle telling her to boil some water because he was going to try make a drip for Andrea and he would need her help. Sophia nodded and gathered up some medical supplies from the cupboard in the kitchen. She pulled out a bag that looked like it was take from a hospital or doctors surgery. Her little girl wasn't a little girl anymore she was basically a woman who knew way more than she should for her age. 


	10. Chapter 10

“I’ll help you soon, I need to help Merle with Andrea first.” Daryl said.

 

Carol followed Daryl out to where Merle was sitting with Andrea. Merle was reading a doctors journal not the one Daryl was reading earlier but a different one. He had a line and a bag of saline that Sophia had made up. Merle was reading up quickly and Andrea was out to it.

 

“What are you going to do?” Carol felt bad she was so busy trying to talk with Sophia to notice just how quickly Andrea had turned for the worst. They were both in bad shape but Andrea was the worst.

 

“I’m gonna run a line… I was a medic in the army it was part of my training but I’m a bit rusty…” Merle told her. “I have everything I need. We took iv supplies from the gp’s office all they needed was the boiled water. I have antibiotics to inject into her line, we took those too, it was a well stocked doctors surgery.”

 

“I can help, I did two years at nursing school before I got married.” Carol moved to go wash her hands, between Merle and Carol they managed to get a line in Andrea’s arm. It wasn’t their best work because Andrea was dehydrated but it was working. They were sure within twenty four hours they could take the lines out.

 

Carol looked at Andrea’s feet, she took the other bore that Merle was thinking about putting a double line in and started preparing her foot.

 

“Feet?” Sophia asked her mother.

 

“I think we need to get her hydrated. We can have a slow one just dripping into her foot.” Carol said to Merle. He nodded that that would be a good idea. Merle had antibiotics on standby to inject into Andrea’s line. “We don’t want to do it too quickly either but we also need to get it in there. Hopefully soon Andrea will feel up to eating and drinking some more.”

 

“Thankyou.” Carol said to Merle, Daryl was standing in the background watching them work on Andrea, Carol was so gentle and it filled Merle with confidence to actually push through and go for the veins. They worked together for the foot. Now it was up to Andrea to pull through on her own now. They all sat and stood staring at the sleeping woman waiting for something to happen.

 

It was starting to get dark out now. The dead were starting to wake up. Merle and Daryl were starting to go through their shutdown routine. They locked up tight, it was getting colder at night so they liked to run heat for Sophia to keep her healthy. They used a fireplace they had placed in the middle of the library, sorting a chimney right up through the roof. It was trial and error to get it right and gathering wood to burn. Merle found a chain saw awhile back they both men went hard out with the chain saw cutting enough wood for them for a couple of years. They left it in a paddock a mile away. They brought enough wood into the library for a month at a time.

 

They were lucky that the library was so large and secure. There were nooks and crannies everywhere. They had stuff stock piled all over, Carol cast any eye over the lower floor of the library. They hadn’t done too badly separating it into different areas. Shaped like an L there were lots of areas. Carol looked over to the left corner, was that a swing and slide set? And a trampoline?

 

Carol explored the library alone, she needed to think and clear her head, the library was two story high. Upstairs they all slept and had their own areas from what she could see.

 

They tried to keep it all separate and when it got really cold Daryl put up a tent for them all to share. They would all sleep in it near the fire so they would keep warm. Also inside the tent it warmed up really quickly.

 

They had turned the library into a home over the few years they lived there. Bringing in whatever they wanted through the huge doors. They had a couch and they even had enough power that they could run a movie if they wanted to. The library was completely self contained.

 

Daryl had been out on the roof keeping watch before they locked down for the night, he come back in the window and they heard him dragging something across the library floor. Carol was surprised to see a bath being dragged towards the kitchen. Sophia run about getting screens so she would have privacy. Daryl tipped the bath on its side and fitted a hose to the bottom and put the other end in the sink. He put a plug in the stopper of the bath. Carol quickly worked out how she was going to take a bath. The water would drain out down the kitchen sink. She had had way worse ways of getting herself clean over the past few years.

  
  


The only bad thing about it was they never put in a functioning bathroom with a shower. So they improvised. In the summer they used camping showers on the roof top. In the winter months they took baths in the kitchen or almost stood on the kitchen bench with the hose and washed quickly. The men quickly worked out the best ways to take quick showers. Daryl still would drag the bath over if Sophia wanted one. Now she wanted it for her mother so Daryl would drag it across and heat it up for her too.

 

Carol watched the man doing Sophia’s bidding. There was affection between both of them. Carol had heard Sophia calling both men dad and she knew they were brothers because they told her. She was still wary of men. She knew what they could do. She was still covered in bruising from the last group of men Andrea and her run into. Andrea was stabbed and Carol was beaten.

 

“Soph… go sit with Andrea while we talk with your ma ok.” Merle come into the kitchen, he knew it was going to be about fifteen minutes until they had the water heated. 

 

“No arguing?” Sophia queried. She could tell both her ma and dad were ready to tear strips of of each other all about her. She did not like it. She wanted them all to stay here but she knew Daryl would have the final say of whether she stayed or went. If Carol and Andrea were a threat to Sophia, Sophia knew that both her dad's would put Carol and Andrea out. “Please… can’t we all just live here together? Please?”

 

“We will see, run along now…” Merle told her, Sophia shrunk out of the kitchen.

 

Carol squared off against both men, Daryl was leaning back against the kitchen bench watching the water heat on the stove top and Merle was lighting the gas burner that went under the bath to heat up the water that was running into the bath slowly from the hose. 

 

“I couldn’t find her. We looked and looked, for a week…” Carol whispered. “I cried for a year not knowing what happened to her.”

 

“We found her she’s been safe… are you safe? Are you safe to be around her… this thing changes people.” Daryl asked her quietly. “I can’t have you around her if you are going to hurt her. Or try take this place from us.”

 

“I would never hurt her.”

 

“Hurt us?” Merle asked Carol. “Cos then we are going to end up in a big old pig shit mess. We can either all live together or you guys can patch yourself up and move the fuck on.”

 

“You would let me take Sophia?” Carol asked them.

 

“No fucken way. If you go you don’t take her nowhere. We been keeping her safe and if you try lady I have no worries about taking you out of the equation.” Daryl hissed at Carol. “She stays here with us… you can stay if you want to but Sophia stays until she fully grown or we all kick the bucket… whatever she wants. She’s too young.”

 

“Do you have a special interested in my daughter?” Carol threw at him.

 

“I ain’t no dirty fuck… and if I was I could of sold her over a hundred times to the dirty fucks that are still alive. The second day we had her six dirty fuckers tried to take her and me and Merle fought for her. She fought with us. She’s my daughter now… you just gotta accept that.” Daryl told her, speaking more than he had to any new person in years.

 

“She’s my daughter too.” Merle told her. “So if you wanna stay you don’t attack us… we don’t attack you. We raise Sophia together or you go… you can’t have both lady.”

 

“I… I….” Carol did not know what to say. Both men standing for her daughter which was more than her own biological father ever did. In fact he would have pushed Sophia in front of a walker to save himself. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know what the deal was here. Thank You for looking after Sophia.”

 

“She looked after us too. Given us something to survive for. She’s real smart too.” Merle said, he glanced out the door seeing Sophia pacing about the library keeping an eye on Andrea. “I better go try clean your friends wound up. I think we need to cut her open slightly and try get the pus out.”

 

“Try putting honey on it too.” Daryl said. “We have bee hives…. We have honey, it's a natural thing. Nothing but time to read books.” He admitted to Carol. Carol nodded and she began to get ready to take her bath.


	11. Chapter 11

Merle slipped out the door leaving Daryl and Carol in the kitchen. Daryl checked the water and turned off the heat and tipped it into the bath. Carol went to the toilet and come back. Daryl was mixing something into the water with his hands. It smelt nice and she could not wait to put her bruised body into the water for the first time in a month be clean again.

 

She tried to take her shirt off. She fumbled with the buttons while Daryl was adding the last bit of water to the bath. She could see it was on feet so it would be easy to drain when they connected the hose to the other end.

 

“You need help?” Daryl asked after seeing her fumbling with her clothes.

 

“I can do it.” Carol struggled harder it was then Daryl saw the rope burns on her wrists. He stepped towards her reaching out to help her unbutton the shirt. She wore a tank top underneath, Daryl swore under his breath when he saw the state of her skin.

 

“I’m ok… don’t let Sophia see ok.” Carol whispered, her eyes lifted pleading with him. Sophia come to the door Daryl walked across to it pulled down the roller shade to give Carol privacy and stuck his head out the door telling Sophia to stay out. Sophia looked worried but she knew better to try argue. She left to go help Merle.

 

“I need to check you out. Are you cut? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Daryl asked her.

 

“To worried about Andrea… then Sophia… then you…” Carol whispered.

 

“I ain’t gonna hurt you…” Daryl reached for the buttons on her pants. Carol just stood there letting him. He help her get them down over her hips. If he was a better man he would try avert his eyes but he took it all in. Her flat stomach and even though she could use a few good meals she still had soft curves on her hips. 

 

He had not seen a woman in a few years and Carol was all woman but the bruising on her legs and hips made him suck in his breath. 

 

“Did they?” He wanted to ask if they raped her but he did not know how. They had some medication for that from the pharmacy down the road. “Do you need the morning after pill or something?”

 

“No… I had my tubes tied after Sophia… but no they didn’t… Andrea… she stopped it… That’s how she got stabbed and we managed to escape… we just kept driving…” Carol whispered, Daryl was still bent over getting her pants off, he looked up to meet her eyes to check if she was lying or telling the truth. Her eyes held no lies so he just nodded and stood up with her pants in his hands.

 

Daryl helped her out of her shirt and she was standing there is threadbare underwear. He passed her a towel to cover herself. She turned her back to him so he could unhook her bra. It was not something he was great at doing but he got the job done. He took a moment to appreciate the soft curve of her spine and her bare hips.

 

“You ok to get in?” He asked her.

 

“I think so… if you just turn your back and I will see.” Carol told him.

 

Carol managed to slip into the water. It covered her up and the bubble mixture that Daryl put in gave her some modesty. She couldn't help but wonder how long it would take the water to turn brown. It was great to clean up even though there was a strange man almost watching her.

 

“You ok?” He asked when she had been in the water for a minute.

 

“It's so good.” Carol said, “Thank you.”

 

“I’ll get Sophia to get you some clothes,” Daryl started.

 

“No… I don’t want her to see me like this… you will have to help me.” Carol said. 

 

Daryl turned and he could see her face sticking out of the water and her knee, his body responded, he tried to tell himself because he hadn’t seen a woman in such a long time. He bit his lip and tried to ignore his growing erection. Carol’s eyes dropped to his pants and he knew she knew what was going on there.

 

“I’ll get you something, you need pain meds?” He asked her.

 

“Please, and check on Andrea,.” Carol said softly.

 

“Are you and Andrea together?” Daryl couldn’t stop his mouth from talking.

 

“No… we just have each others back. She’s very much into men…”

 

Daryl run his hand through his hair. He nodded and left her in the kitchen to wash and clean herself up. He was starting to feel bad about not trusting Carol, no wonder she didn’t trust him seeing her body like that looked like she had gone a few rounds with someone.

 

Daryl told Sophia to gather some clothes for Carol. Warm cosy clothes that she could sleep in. Andrea was awake now. The antibiotics had started to work and the drips were hydrating her quicker than them trying to spoon feed water into her.

 

“Hi Andrea… Carol’s just taking a bath.” Daryl told her when she looked behind him for Carol. “How are you feeling now?”

 

“Tired,” Andrea said softly.

 

Daryl looked around for Merle, he was off on one of the other couches watching everyone, lying down and seemed to be trying to dooze off. Sophia come back with some clothes but Daryl shook his head when she went to take it off to the kitchen. Daryl headed off with the clothes. 

 

He knocked on the door and called out it was him. Carol told him to come in. He took a quick glance at her in the bath seeing the murky water and put the clothes off to the side.

 

“I’ll heat up some fresh water for you to rinse off in. That water looks like shit.” Daryl told her.

 

“Haven’t had a wash in awhile.” Carol told him.

 

Carol pulled the plug on the bath and she was embarrassed by the dirt ring around the bath and the actual dirt in the bottom of the bath.

 

“Should see the bath after Merle takes one.” Daryl told her. “Can you stand?”

 

Carol said yes and stood up, Daryl still had his back to her trying to be a gentleman but he could see a reflection on her in the pots he had heating up water.

 

“I’ll put it in the watering can. You can tip it over yourself to rinse.” Daryl told her.

 

“I think I need you to help… just shut your eyes.” Carol told him.

 

“I’ll end up tipping it on the floor.” Daryl told her.

 

“Well turn around but don’t look.” Carol told him.

 

Daryl turned around and tried to keep his eyes off Carol’s but failed. But he did manage to get her rinsed off without making a fool out of himself. Carol was battered and bruised so badly he didn’t know what to do to help her. Sophia was going to freak out if she saw her.

 

Carol accepted the towel he handed her. Daryl did avert his eyes finally.

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

“Dad… dad…” Sophia shook Daryl awake. He sat up quickly looking about reaching for the knife on his bedside table.

 

“Mom went out the window.” Sophia whispered in a panicked voice.

 

“When?”

 

“About five minutes ago.” Sophia whispered.

 

Daryl groaned and sent Sophia back off to bed and moved quickly putting on his clothes to go find out what Carol was up too. Was she leaving or just needing out of the library. He pulled on his shoes and grabbed a blanket just in case Carol was cold. He hoped just to find her on the roof.

He slipped out onto the fire escape and climbed slowly to the roof top. He could see Carol standing back from the edge with her arms wrapped around herself staring down at the street below. She didn’t turn when she heard his foot fall, Daryl knew she heard him because her body shifted to a defence mode.

“Not gonna hurt ya… Sophia was worried.” He walked up behind her wrapping the blanket around her. She was cold and Daryl was glad he was dressed warm. 

“I’m sorry… I should have said something to her… I thought she was sleeping, I just needed to think.” Carol said softly she still hadn’t turned to acknowledge him at all. “Merle was dozing and keeping an eye on Andrea and I just needed a breath of fresh air.”

Daryl hummed and looked over the side of the building at a few dead that were shuffling past. He hated them, hated the risk they posed to them now.

“Why don’t ya come back inside and we can talk in there. Warmer and you aren’t recovered yet.” Daryl suggested.

“Have you ever done anything so bad you can’t ever sleep…”

“I done a lot of bad shit since this thing started.” Daryl told her, “Doesn’t mean we still are not good people.”

“I did some stuff…” Carol trailed on to tell him how she was thrown out of the group at a prison with Andrea because they took out the sick who had a virus and were dying, the leader of the group left them on the side of the road with nothing but the pack on their back and knives on their hips. They had to do all sorts of things to survive.

“We all done some stuff…” Daryl told her, “Come inside its cold…”

“Not like we did…” Carol whispered.

“What did you do?”

“We killed a whole bunch of people… guys, they were bad guys but we just locked them in a room and set it on fire…” Carol whispered.

“The guys who did that to you and Andrea?” Daryl asked her.

Carol nodded.

 

“Can’t say they didn’t deserve it.” Daryl told her, he put his arm around her, “Come here,” 

He pulled her into a hug because he had no idea what else to do for her. He could hold her while she worked out her feelings. He didn’t know what happened because he bent his head to tell her it was alright they would work it out together and she looked up and sighed, whether it was the moonlight or the high stressed situation he bent down and kissed her.

They both moved into the kiss holding each other tighter then Daryl let her go quickly.

“I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have…” Daryl muttered.

“Its fine… its pretty romantic… You probably got swept up in the moment.” Carol whispered gesturing to the rambling walkers groaning down on the street and the moonlight. Daryl shook his head.

“You guys been through a rough time… I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.” Daryl muttered.

“You didn’t force me… I kinda liked it,” Carol bent over to pick up the blanket that had dropped to the ground, she pulled it up over herself and Daryl put his arm around Carol and tried hugging her again.

“I ain’t good at this shit…” Daryl told her. “But I’m freezing my arse off, Sophia’s worried and I’m up here making out with her mama.”

“We better go back then?” Carol whispered, he was surprised when Carol stopped walking and pulled his head down into a kiss again. She was throwing caution to the wind and decided to go with the flow. She liked him and she could feel he liked her. He was a nice man and had taken good care of her daughter over the past few years there was worst things she could do than make out with him on the roof.

“We need to stop.” Daryl whispered, he was backing her up against the small utility that housed the batteries to stored the solar power.  He grinded himself against her and started kissing down her neck.

“We should… but I don’t wanna….” Carol tilted her neck so he had better access. It had been a long time since she had been with a man. A nice man one that she wanted to be with by choice. And she really wanted too, she could feel the heat pooling between her legs, a dull ache she hadn’t felt in years. 

“You sure…” Daryl groaned in her ear, he needed to be sure about what she was saying.

“Really sure…” Carol rubbed him in the front of his pants. Daryl wasn’t sure about what he was doing here. Carol was still banged up and he couldn’t very well take her on the roof top.

“Come inside…” Daryl whispered he grabbed her hand towing her behind him clearly he had a plan in mind.

  
  



	13. Chapter 13

“Everyone is inside.” Carol whispered.

 

“We got a room for when Merle is snoring… it was an office or something… there’s a bed in there if you really wanna do this we do it in comfort.” Daryl told her, he already had her by the hand and was heading towards the fire escape. Carol just followed along behind him.

 

They walked quietly through the library, Daryl was holding her hand as they tiptoed the whole way through to the small office room. They thought they were being super quiet. Merle lifted his head when he heard the small office door closed looking towards it not quite believing what he had seen.

 

“What’s in there?” Andrea whispered to him in the dark.

 

“A queen sized bed.” Merle chuckled.

 

“You mean they are…” Andrea whispered.

 

“Gonna get laid I imagine or they are swapping stories.” Merle climbed off the couch and come to check Andrea’s drip, she was due more antibiotic soon and he would need to swap her bags to hydrate her more.

 

“Thanks for taking such great care of me.” Andrea whispered. “We haven’t been very lucky to run across nice guys very often.”

 

“You’re welcome sugar…” Merle was almost bashful at her comments.

 

“When I’m feeling better maybe you and I can take a look in there too.” Andrea whispered. Merle actually laughed for the first time in a long time.

 

*****************************

“God…” Daryl shut the door softly behind him, Carol was unbuckling his pants. She was fumbling with the buckle. Daryl reached down to help her with the buckle. “Are you sure?”

 

“Stop asking me if I’m sure or I’m gonna think you don’t wanna do it.” Carol whispered.

 

“I think you can tell I wanna do it.” Daryl was rock hard and he knew he wasn’t going to last long at all, not with the way she slipped her hand into his pants. 

 

He started gathering up the bottom of her tee shirt that just happened to be one of his. He helped her out of her shirt.

 

“Are you sure you are ok…” he was starting to get worried because she was so bruised. Carol forced his hands to help her out of her clothes then she pushed him onto the bed. He landed on his back and she climbed over the top of him. His pants were undone and his dick was hard and erect poking out of the front of his pants. Painfully hard.

 

“Get out of your pants.” Carol whispered. He complied quickly and Carol leaned over him straddling him. She bent down to kiss him again. Daryl moved his hand finding her heat and finding her dripping wet. He run his finger around her clit, she moaned loudly. It had been such a long time she was sure she wasn’t going to last long and she felt like she was getting close already.

  
  


He put his other hand on her hip and tried to guide her onto him. She complied sliding down on him slowly. She moved up and down Daryl reached out to touch her breast. She knew that she wasn't going to last that long because she was nearly coming before she slid down on him. He moved his other hand to her clit and started to touch her and before the knew it she was throwing her head back and groaning as she came hard. He didn’t last much longer in fact it was almost embarrassing how quickly it started and finished. Carol lay down on top of him as he went soft inside her. She moved off him and flopped on her back beside him.

 

“Well… I think we can do better than that.” She told him.

 

“Hey… don’t mock its been a while.” Daryl whispered. "To long."

 

“How long?”

 

“Sex or…”

 

“Sex or….”

 

“Its a bit hard to find a girl at the end of the world and the other its been a while since I had any time to myself… I’m not like Merle who will go and toss a load off on the roof.” Daryl mumbled.

 

“What?” 

 

“Doesn’t matter…” Daryl almost chuckled. “I can do better.” 

 

“Next time.” Carol whispered. “I think I can sleep now.” She moved off him to get dressed.

 

“You going?”

 

“If Sophia wakes and finds me in bed with you what's she gonna think?”

 

“That her mama and Dad got together!” Daryl whispered. “Any regrets?”

 

“None… night Daryl… sweet dreams.” Carol whispered as she pulled her tee shirt on and pants up over her hips. Daryl just lay there still in his shirt and pants around his ankles knowing he had just been used to scratch an itch and quite frankly he was ok with that. He just hoped that no one else knew what they did because he didn’t want to have to deal with Merle tomorrow.

 


	14. Chapter 14

“Where were you?” Sophia whispered when Carol settled down into the bed she was sharing beside Sophia. The guys promised they would get more beds tomorrow. For tonight she was happy to share.

 

“Just on the roof.”

 

“All this time?” Sophia whispered, “Daryl went out to find you.”

 

“We talked for a long time.” Carol lied.

 

“Did you work things out.”

 

“We honey, we worked most things out.” Carol told her, she was already heading off to sleep, she was so tired and relaxed now she didn’t hear a word Sophia said after that.

 

Sophia lay in the dark listening to the sounds in the library, it was so quiet in here and she wasn’t sure what her mom and dad were talking about but she knew they went into that office to talk alone. She heard Daryl coming up the stairs quietly trying not to wake anyone up. He paused as he went past Sophia's bed area looking in to check they were asleep. He stood there for a long time.

 

“Go to sleep,” he finally said. Sophia knew he could tell she was awake still.

 

“Are you still fighting with mom?” Sophia whispered.

 

“We are not fighting… its gonna be ok alright. Now night.” Daryl kept going for his own corner upstairs to sleep.

 

*************************************************

 

Andrea looked better and she said she felt a lot better the next morning. Carol come downstairs and she was eating food with Merle and Sophia. They were talking quietly but they all turned their heads and smiled at Carol when she made her way down the stairs. 

 

Carol smiled back and looked about, Sophia was gone as was Daryl when she woke up. 

 

“Where are they?” Carol asked them.

 

“On the roof,” Merle told her, “They tend their crops every morning and check out what is going on in the neighbourhood. Looking for anyone who might have stumbled into town.” Merle told her.

 

“Have a good sleep?” Andrea asked Carol.

 

“Fine thanks…” 

 

“Merle can you get me something else to eat?” Andrea asked Merle, “And something for Carol.”

 

“Sure thing sweet cheeks.” Merle said. He left to head towards the food.

 

“Ok spill…” Andrea demanded details.

 

“What?”

 

“Did you bang Daryl last night?” Andrea whispered, she looked over Carol’s shoulders towards the kitchen making sure they were not overheard.

 

“How could you even ask me that?”

 

“Well we saw you and Daryl heading to that room over there and Merle said there’s only a bed in there.” Andrea said with a smirk on her face. “So… did you take advantage of him or was it because neither of you have been laid since the beginning?”

 

“God Andrea…” Carol put her hands over her face and blushed. She heard Merle talking with Sophia and Daryl as they come in through the kitchen. She didn’t even know how she could face him in the cold light of the day. 

 

“We heard you you know…” Andrea said quietly. “Sounds like it didn’t last that long so maybe you need to try again.”

 

“God Andrea… shut up.” Carol hissed as the others come closer.

 

“Morning mom.” Sophia gave her mom a hug, Daryl hung back and gave her a nod to acknowledge her, Carol listened to Sophia telling her all sorts of things. She accepted the plate of food Merle offered her. The plan of the day was to do nothing.

 

Andrea still had to recover and Carol was still banged up. Even though she was up she was already thinking about taking a nap. Andrea looked like she was ready to go back to bed also, they removed her lines so she could go to the toilet without an escort. Carol helped her to the toilet and Merle helped redress her wound. It already looked better. They started giving her pills instead of meds via the iv. 

 

Daryl filled the bath for Andrea, Carol insisted in helping her not trusting Daryl to help, he might not want to get an eyeful of Andrea. Although Merle seemed to have his eye on Andrea. 

 

***********************************

“Stay here.” Daryl was telling Sophia in the kitchen. He was telling her in a tone that made Carol lift her head up from the couch she was sitting on, Sophia had been following Daryl around all afternoon and he was trying to take a shower by the looks of things.

 

“But you and Merle took showers yesterday… where are you going?” Sophia asked him again.

“To take a shower, now stay here with your mom and Andrea.” Daryl told her again. Daryl and Merle had been filling camping showers to take up to the rooftop. It wasn’t that warm and it looked like Sophia thought they were doing something else.

 

“Cupcake, beat it.” Merle told her.

 

“But…” 

 

Daryl was gone with a bag of towels and clothes and Merle was passing out what looked like six camping showers. Sophia walked over to where her mother was and flopped down on the couch and looked at her.

 

“They took showers yesterday… why do they want to take them again?” Sophia complained. “I thought we were going to go out and get you some clothes but Daryl’s talking about washing his hair. He never washes his hair… And Merle has a shower about once a week or he goes in the creek sometimes.”

 

“What did they say?” Carol asked her daughter. “When you asked them.”

 

“To mind my own fucken business… and they could take as many showers as they want. But its cold on the roof and I think they are lying.” Sophia swung her legs like she was pouting.

 

“Why don’t you watch a movie or something. I’ll go up and check that they are actually taking showers.”

 

“They don’t like no one watching them so be careful Daryl doesn’t shoot you in the arse with a arrow. They will be in the camping shower thingy.”

 

“Together?”

 

“No… one stands watch and the other goes in the tent.” Sophia rolled her eyes and Carol went to grab a sweater and a jacket to go see what the men were doing.

 

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

 

Carol made her way slowly up the fire escape checking her weapon, she still had her knife and she also had boots ok ready to run. She still found it hard to relax. She stepped up onto the roof top and spotted Daryl walking along side the side of the building looking down to the street below. He brought binoculars up to his eyes to look into the distance as well.

 

He glanced towards her when she stepped onto the roof, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment. Carol walked towards him with her arms wrapped around herself. 

 

“Sophia’s worried that you guys are taking too many showers…” Carol gave him a small smile. “Apparently you showered yesterday.”

 

Daryl shook his head and lifted the binoculars again.

 

“There’s a couple of deer over there in the woods. If I bag one we will have fresh meat and we might be able to salt some and dry some.” Daryl told her. “What do you think?”

 

Carol took the binoculars off him to look. She could see a couple of young looking deer and a more mature one. She looked around to see what else was happening.

 

“Do you need the meat or what… there’s only five of us. Will we eat that much before it goes off.” Carol asked him.

 

“Made a smokehouse to dry it over there.” He pointed to another roof top. “And we can freeze some with the freezers, Merle knows how to make salami to store for a long time. We broke into the small butchers down there,” Daryl pointed to the street below, Carol saw a small butchers, “And we could eat like pigs for a week.”

 

“I eat like a lady…” Carol said quietly.

 

“I bet you do…”

 

“Daryl Dixon are you flirting with me?” Carol teased him, he blushed bright red. His hand went to her hip and he gave it a squeeze, Carol yelped because he put his hand on a bruise.

 

“God I’m sorry.” Daryl dropped his hand.

 

“Its ok… you just forgot.”

 

“So two showers in two day’s Daryl… you must have big plan’s.” Carol started teasing him again. 

 

“Are you always like this?” Daryl asked her, his eyes went from her and shifted over her right shoulder. Merle had finished his shower.

 

“You want me to keep watch Daryl… or is Carol watching you shower?” Merle asked with a big smile on his face. 

 

“Fuck off Merle!” Daryl said.

 

Merle didn’t fuck off he come right over to where they were standing and looked to see what they were looking at. He saw the deer in the distance. 

 

“We going after that?” Merle nodded his head towards the deer.

 

“Yeah, I’ll shower later.” Daryl said. “We will use the meat.”

 

Carol followed them down the stairs trailing behind Daryl checking him out from behind. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing jumping into bed like that the night before he almost ignored her since it happened. It wasn’t awkward but comfortable.

 

Daryl slowed down just enough for Carol to bump into the back of him. He reached behind him and touched her hand that was on his back, he gave it a squeeze as he took the last few steps, he stood back to let Carol go in before him. All he need now was for Sophia to question why he hadn’t taken a shower.


	15. Chapter 15

“I think you have your eye on Sophia’s mama,” Merle said to Daryl, they were moving quickly through the woods looking for the deer they spotted earlier.

 

“Maybe it's none of your business…” Daryl whispered.

 

“I saw you sneaking into the office with your little lady last night.” Merle said. He stopped talking and pointed to the young buck in the distance, they moved quickly and quietly. Daryl shot it dead quickly and smoothly. Merle kept watch and listened for any danger while Daryl did some quick butchering in the forest. He knew leaving the innards would bring the dead also the smell would draw them out.

 

Daryl saw Merle moving to the left, he took down a walker. They knew that they would draw the dead out quickly. Daryl hoisted the deer over his shoulders and they moved quickly towards the truck they had parked on the edge of the woods. Daryl dumped it in the back. Daryl was about to climb into the cab of the truck when he heard a cry.

 

“You hear that?” He asked Merle.

 

“Jesus…” Merle said, they both stood there listening and watching and they heard it again.

 

“Over here.” Merle moved slowly, the dead that were near were heading towards the noise. Daryl and Merle took two walkers down. They really hoped they were not getting lulled into a trap that was using a baby to lure them.

 

Daryl didn’t know why he looked up. Up in a tree he saw a boy about Sophia’s age and strapped to him was a baby. He had a gun trained on them and he looked like he was prepared to use it.

 

“You need some help kid?” Merle asked him, Daryl was keeping an eye out for walkers coming nearby he took out another on with a bolt that was stumbling out of the bushes. “Your baby hungry?”

 

The boy glared at him. The baby was crying hard.

 

“You wanna come with us? We got a place nearby, we can help you out… get you back to your people?” Daryl asked. He didn’t have time to hear the answer because he and Merle had to start swinging knives as three walkers stumbled out of the bush all drawn to the baby crying.

 

“She’s hungry…” Was said from the tree. “How many people are in your group?”

 

“Three, Me, Merle and Sophia…” Daryl said without thinking.

 

“Don’t forget we picked up two yesterday, Carol and Andrea…” Merle said. “They just been with us for a bit.”

 

“Andrea and Carol? A blonde and Carol’s got short greyish hair?” The boy called down, Merle looked up and nodded. “Sophia?”

 

“Come on kid either come down or we have to go.” Daryl said. 

 

The boy started to climb down and even though he had the baby strapped to him managed to take out a walker on his own. He was a tall kid not quite a man but definatly leaving his teenaged years behind.

 

“Where is your group?” Daryl asked him.

 

“I don’t know… I just run with Judith ...we were attacked and I just kept going till I couldn’t run anymore we been walking for a day or so. I run out of milk this morning.” The kid said. 

 

The walker were coming slowly to the area the baby was still crying but they managed to make it back to the truck all of them climbing in the cab and moving quickly out of the woods and driving slowly back to town. Daryl run his bloody hand through his hair thinking the last thing they really needed was a baby and a teenaged boy being added to their group. He wondered if they could find their group and get them back to it. The baby didn’t look that old and was going to need bottles and shit. 

 

They drove slowly through their town they had claimed. Daryl made Merle stop at the baby store for a few minutes. He asked the kid what size his baby was. He said she was about eight months. Daryl made the kid come into the store with him to get the stuff the baby needed. He had no idea what to get.

 

The baby store was one place they had never entered because they never needed anything from there. He banged on the window for walkers. None come to the door to his call. 

 

He broke the glass and opened the front door by sticking his hand through the door. He pushed the door open and looked about. The kid had his knife drawn and Daryl really hoped he wasn’t about to stab him instead. The kid looked at Daryl looking at the knife in his hands. 

 

“In case of walkers.” He whispered. Daryl nodded and they slowly entered the shop. 

Milk and a bottle was all Daryl could think of grabbing. He grabbed a fancy baby bag that was on display and started grabbing baby clothes and bottles and formula. He tucked a bag of diapers under his arm and grabbed a pack of wipes. The kid had a couple of bags and was filling it with tins of formula that was still on the shelves.

 

“Its not off?” Daryl whispered.

 

“Doesn’t matter…. Unless you have a cow or a goat she needs milk.” 

 

Daryl turned a tin over and was happy to see it was still in date last thing he wanted was a sick baby to have to look after. They were in and out within three minutes they could hear the wailing baby in the front of the cab with Merle and Daryl knew it would be the calling of all the walkers in the area. 

 

Walkers were heading towards the noise inside the truck and one was banging on the window. Merle had the cab running and he placed the baby on the floor in case he had to make  a quick run away just in case and he didn’t want her rolling off onto the floor so he was going to start with her down there.

 

Daryl took down a walker that was coming down the left of the street. The kid was handy with the knife. Daryl wasn’t sure what to do because there were walkers surrounding the doors of the cab.

 

“We could feed them.” The kid suggested. 

 

Daryl climbed onto the back of the cab he dropped his bag of formula and bottles on the back, the kid dropped his stuff into the back of the cab and climbed up to help get the dead weight up and over the side of the truck.  They tossed the deer off the driver's side of the truck so they would have a chance to move away. 

 

The noise of the deer hitting the pavement made the heads of the walkers turn to see what it was. They quickly dropped to their knees to grab the food. Some walkers were scrambling trying to get onto the back of the cab Daryl started climbing over the roof of the cab and slide down the front of the cab, the kid followed him and they moved down the street on the road.

 

Merle had no choice but to drive off with the crying baby because he was in danger of being swarmed because the baby in the cab was like a fire alarm signalling the walkers to come to them. 

 

“What…” The kid yelped watching the truck leave with his sister he started to run after it.

 

“It's ok… we will catch them up this way.” Daryl called out jogging to catch up he looked over his shoulder to make sure they were not being followed by any stray walkers and he grabbed the kid's arm and they quickly moved off down a side alley and up a fire escape.

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

 

Merle pulled into the basement of the library with a screaming baby. The doors locked behind him and he just hoped that Daryl and the kid would make it back. He could only hope that he could plug the hole that was making all the noise. He hoped that one of the women could sort out the baby.

 

He reached down picking the screaming baby looking at it. It smelt bad and he held it up under its arms and tried to get out of the truck holding it like that. He put it down on the seat, climbed out and picked it up again holding it under the arms walking around the back of the truck to pick up the bags.

 

He had no idea how to do both. He knew that people somehow carried babies close so he tried to hold her close turning her about so her feet were dangling down and his arm was wrapped around her tucked under her arms keeping her hanging there while he grabbed the bags with the other hand.

 

He banged on the internal door to get someone to open the door. Sophia come to the door asking who was there and a code word to let her know if he was alone or not. She let him in and her eyes opened wide when she saw the baby. Her eyes went behind him and he could see the panic in her eyes.

 

“We got separated, he’s coming.” He passed her a bag. “Make it something.”

 

Carol heard the noise of the baby and come to where the source of the noise was.

 

“Oh my god! That’s Judith.” Carol whispered seeing the baby. She reached out to take her and held her close. She grabbed the bag and moved through the library towards Andrea. “Its Judith!”

 

Andrea reached out her arms and burst into tears at the same time. She cuddled the baby close while Carol had a bottle to calm the baby girl. Merle watched the two women not believing they knew the baby and the kid.

 

“Is it your baby?” Merle asked Andrea.

 

“No… its a friend. Our friends baby. Where did you find her?” Andrea whispered.

 

Carol come across with a bottle and they popped it in. Merle handed Carol the bag of baby stuff. Andrea held her and fed her while Carol quickly cleaned the bottom end that looked like it hadn’t been changed in a while maybe because the boy had run out of supplies. 

 

“Where is this friend? Are we expecting more people?” Merle looked concerned. “It was just the kid and the baby.”

 

“Carl?” Carol asked him, she glanced at Andrea quickly, Merle looked at the look they exchanged.

 

“A boy with stringy black hair?”

 

“Yeah…” Carol said, she finished cleaning up the baby. She had left her pants off leaving her covered in the blanket that was originally on Andrea. She planned to give her a bath as soon as possible.

 

“What? Who’s baby is it?” Merle sounded really stressed, he though a team of people were going to come storming through the place.

 

“She’s Lori’s baby, she died, if Carl is alone with her something bad happened. We left the group a month ago… not by choice.” Carol told him. There was noise coming from the kitchen, everyone’s heads turned towards the kitchen and Daryl come through pulling the kid with him.

 

Daryl glanced around seeing the baby is safe arms and he kinda shoved the kid towards Carol. He was surprised to he the boy almost run for Carol and into her arms. She held him tight. 

 

“Are you ok?” Carol whispered.

 

“Yes…”

 

“Carl what happened? Where’s your dad?” Andrea asked from the couch, she had the baby now over her shoulder rubbing her back.

 

“I don’t know… a tank come through and they killed Hershal and I grabbed Judith and waited at the emergency house for a week and no one come. So I needed to find more food for her and I thought I could make it back to the old farm, I had a car for a bit. Then we were on foot. We are only about twenty miles from there right?” Carl looked around, Carol could tell he was weighing up whether Merle and Daryl were threats.

 

“They are fine Carl… in fact they found Sophia.” Carol gestured to the teenaged girl standing behind him to his left not believing that her old friend Carl was standing there.

 

Carl turned seeing her standing there all grown up. Carol couldn’t help but smile and Carl and Sophia hugged. Daryl frowned about the hug and felt the boy held her for too long. Sophia was crying and the boy pulled her even closer.

 

“Enough of that shit.” Daryl moved to break them up, pulling them physically apart. “Sophia get the kid some food. Then we will see about getting them a bath and clothes.”

 

No one had said anything but they both smelt pretty bad.

 

“What happened?” Andrea asked. “Did you leave the prison?”

Carl accepted the food that Sophia passed him. It was still warm from when she heated it earlier from Andrea, Carol and her lunch. She passed him an almost overflowing bowl. She wasn’t sure when he last ate. The baby had taken her bottle down very quickly and was looking about with big blue eyes.

 

Carl sat on the edge of the couch and he started eating quickly. He started mashing his food up and offering bits to Judith. Carol waved her hand for him to stop. She moved to go get some food for Judith. She pulled out some meat and vegetables and quickly mashed it together with some of the gravy to feed to the little girl. She hadn’t grown as much as Carol would have expected over the two months she had not seen them.

 

Carol walked back and sat on the ground, Andrea holding Judith still Carol started to spoon feed her some solid food. The little girl opened her mouth for the food. She was hungry and Carl had finished his food quickly. 

 

“Have some more soon. You’ll be sick it you eat too much.” Carol told him. He nodded and started sipping down the food that he had been given.

 

“What happened?” Andrea asked again.

 

“After you left,” Carl began, Carol and Andrea glanced at each other. “The governer come back with a tank and started blowing stuff up. Killing people… I grabbed Judith and Tyreese killed him, Dad he was in a pretty bad way…”

 

“How long ago?” Carol asked him.

 

“A week… ten days… he’s still back there. I took Judith and went looking for food. Then I ran out of milk and you know the rest?” Carl looked around the group. “I had to leave him… take Judith… what if he turned and ate her.”

 

“Its fine Carl… its going to be ok.” Carol put her hand on his shoulder.

 

“You and Andrea just left us…” Carl whispered. “Why you do that?”

 

“We will talk about that later. Maybe you can look at a map and we can figure out where your dad is.” Merle suggested. Andrea let out a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. Merle looked at the women and knew there was something that they hadn’t revealed. 

 

Carol moved away from Carl to take the bowls back into the kitchen. She moved about setting up the kitchen sink to sort something out to bath the baby. Daryl followed her into the kitchen with the baby bag.

 

“You know this kid… whats up?” Daryl asked her. 

 

She reached out for the baby bag and started setting out clothes and diapers. She pulled tags off ridiculously expensive baby clothes. Sophia never had any clothes that looked like this. Expensive but some of it looked warm.

 

“We were with that group… from before when I lost Sophia.” Carol started to say. Daryl set about to heat up some water. He kept looking for answers from Carol. “There was a flu… or something, people were just dropping dead. One kid about sixteen turned and killed about four people. Andrea and I…Rick put some of the people with the flu in isolation. And they were dying. We … they were dying… they had blood dripping from their eyes and ears… out their mouths and we put them down. They were drowning in their own blood. So…”

 

“Don’t have to explain yourself…” Daryl said. “This kids father… we gonna go look for him or what?”

 

“I don’t know… I want to say no but its his dad.” Carol said quietly. “He a good dad, he just was scared for his kids.” 

 

“What he do?” Daryl knew there was more to the story.

 

“He took Andrea and me on a run… he just left us out there and told us not to come back.” Carol said. “Said he didn’t trust us around his kids.”

 

“That’s bullshit!” Daryl muttered.

 

“I’m going to go get the baby, try calm a bit because she will sense your anger.” Carol whispered. Daryl stepped closer to her, he put his hand on her arm.

 

“Are you ok? Its been a crazy two days.” Daryl asked her. She looked up at him giving him a tight smile.

 

“I don’t think I’m ready to be left alone while you go look for Rick, but the good person in me can’t not let you go look for him.” Carol told him. 

 

“Because you guys aren’t right yet, Andrea’s still hurt. Maybe I can go with just the kid and leave Merle here?” Daryl suggested.

 

“What if you don’t come back or something happens?” Carol asked him.

 

“Do you want me to go for theses kids father or not?” Daryl asked her again.

 

“I couldn’t do that to another parent.” Carol said. “Not knowing what happened to your kids…”

 

“So this guy left you and Andrea out there, and you all got attacked because of him and you want to help him.” Daryl asked her.

 

“I wouldn’t do that to the kids.” Carol said. Daryl stepped close and bent his head and kissed her briefly. It wasn’t expected but Carol didn’t reject it either. She wanted it. She couldn’t help herself from sinking into the kiss. Daryl pulled back slightly.

 

“Better go sort that baby out before Sophia comes in here and spots me macking on her momma.” Daryl said quietly.

 

“Macking?”

 

“Yeah… where are we going to put everyone. We need more blankets or we are going to have to double up.” Daryl said. 

 

“I bunk down with Andrea.” Carol said.

 

“Yeah… alright. Go get that little one and make her not smell.” Daryl said again.

 

Carol nodded and slipped out to go get Judith and get her cleaned up. 

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

Daryl watched Carol bath the baby quickly and fed her again. She seemed to be in her element. The baby seemed to be settled in Carol's arm’s falling asleep after another bottle of milk.

 

“Her dad is the one who left Sophia?” Daryl asked her, “Left her by the creek alone?”

 

“Yes…” Carol said softly.

 

They were sitting upstairs on the edge of Daryl’s bed, Daryl had set up a portable cot for the baby to sleep in. Up stairs so that she would be safer, they were considering getting another one for downstairs to put her into bed if they were all down stairs. 

 

“And he left you and Sophia.” Daryl asked.

 

“Yes…”

 

“And Andrea?”

 

Carol was rocking the baby who was asleep in her arms, Daryl was spawled across his bed watching her. Sophia and Carl were downstairs playing a board game together eating dinner and catching up. Daryl wasn’t sure about the kid yet. He really hoped he never had to deal with teenaged boys sniffing around Sophia being that there were barely none left around the world.

 

They had talked about Carl and Daryl heading out to find Rick. Daryl wasn’t keen on finding the man that left Sophia and threw Carol and Andrea out of their group. Carol and Andrea pointed out the fact that they needed to know if he was either still alive or had turned. Also they couldn’t take his children because Carol knew what it was like never to know what happened to her child, she had played on Daryl’s parental instincts and asked him how he would feel if he never knew if Sophia was alive or dead if he just woke up and she was gone.

 

Daryl had seen it from Carl’s point of view and he understood that he would be stressed out if something happened to Sophia and they didn’t know what happened to her.

 

“Was she scared when you found her?” Carol asked him.

 

“Sophia, she was hiding in a cupboard when we were ransacking a farm house.” Daryl folded his arms behind his head. Carol lifted the sleeping baby and kissed her, moved slowly off the bed to the portable cot and placed her inside and covered her with a blanket. Daryl had given up his bed for Carol and Judith to use until they sorted out more bed and other things. Merle was going to sleep downstairs with Andrea and Carl was going to have a sleep in Merles bed. Sophia asked where Daryl was sleeping and he just shrugged and said he would find somewhere. 

 

Carol knew he would probably sneak up with her and at least sleep with her sharing the bed. 

 

“How long will she sleep?” Daryl asked.

 

“I don’t know, a couple of hours maybe.”

 

“What are we going to do while she sleeps?” Daryl looked suggestive.

 

“You are going to find Carl some clothes and sort him out a bath or something.” Carol smiled at him sweetly.

 

“Come here?” Daryl patted the bed beside him. Carol glanced at the sleeping baby and crawled up the bed to where he was patting. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Can we just sleep for a bit?”

 

“I guess so… Merle watching the kids,” Carol told him, “Will he sort Carl out?”

 

“Hope so.”

 

Daryl shut his eyes and rolled on his side facing her. Carol was tired and she realized that she needed to shut her eyes too. It had truely been a crazy twentyfour hours and if Daryl was going out tomorrow he would need sleep.

 

“What if I went with you?” Carol said quietly.

 

Daryl’s eyes opened and he stared at her. He shook his head.

“Why not?”

 

“The guy already tossed your arse out once you want him to really kill you this time?” Daryl said.

 

“He might not trust you, try shoot you.” Carol said she had rolled onto her side and was staring at him.

 

“I’ll have his kid.” Daryl said.

 

“He might think you are holding him hostage or something. If I come he knows I wouldn’t hurt Carl.” Carol said.

 

“You are still injured.”

 

“Its not as bad as it was, I can sleep in the truck.  It should be a straight run through to where Carl thinks he left him.” Carol said quietly, she heard footsteps coming up the stair and they both shifted apart. Daryl threw his arm across his face as he rolled away not knowing who it was coming up the stairs.

 

“Well now what’s going on up here?” Merle voice was low and almost taunting them. There was a good foot between them and nothing had happened. “You got a youngun up here with you.”

 

“Nothing now.” Daryl spat out. “Tell Carol she can’t come with us tomorrow.”

 

“I’m not telling her that. Now Andrea she can’t go because she still got a temperature but if Carol wants to go with your arse you can’t really stop her now!” Merle told him.

 

“You were not meant to agree with her.” Daryl lifted his head looking at his brother. “Fine you can come but I’m not saving your arse if you can’t keep up!”

 

“Fine Daryl… I don’t need you to save me… you never know I might just save you.”

 

“Fine, you keep your arse in bed and keep eating until later, rest and get your strength up. I’m going to pack some more shit!” Daryl said rolling off the bed.

 

“Don’t forget my makeup bag!” Carol called out after him.

 

“He threw her a dirty look and went down to pack food and water so they could leave first light. He really hoped it was going to be a straight through run without any problems. He walked down the stairs, the only problem he could see right now was the kid flirting with his daughter.

  
“Carl, move it buddy, you need to take a bath before you come tomorrow, come and help me sort it out.” Daryl told him, he headed into the kitchen to set up a bath for the kid. Merle had his clothes sorted out for him and then they just needed to sort out gas and water for the trip. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I've been out of it, been some problems with the kids lately and haven't been in the right brain place to write.

 

Daryl looked in the trunk of the SUV. He had food and water for a week for five. He didn’t know what else they needed. They had guns, knives and he had his bow. A couple of changes of clothes and Carol was just trying to comfort Sophia telling her they would be coming back. 

 

Sophia was crying because they were both going. She had cried in his arms earlier begging him to take her with him. Daryl shook his head telling her that if Rick was still injured they would need all the room in the truck. Carl was standing beside him in the basement shuffling. It was barely breaking dusk and he had a map in his hand and he wanted to get moving.

 

Carol come down with a few tears in her eyes. Andrea didn’t come down as she was still having trouble with her leg. She stayed up in the library with Judith. Merle come down with a still sobbing Sophia.

 

“Its fine Soph… we will be back before you know it the quicker we go the quicker we get home.” Daryl told him. 

 

“But you and Mom… I just got her back.” Sophia sniffed.

 

“Soph… I’m not gonna promise you. But you know I’ma gonna do everything to get your mom back home to you ok.” Daryl hugged her again and Carol come over giving her a hug they hopped in the SUV. Carl hopped in the back and Sophia cried on Merle's shoulder as they opened the doors and they drove out. Merle shut the doors behind them.

 

Merle didn’t know if it was a great idea, he was going to be stuck with Andrea and Judith. Both who couldn’t defend themselves at the moment. He already decided that they were going to be sticking close to home. Even just staying inside for the time the others were away. Up to the rooftop and that was all. Not onto the streets or anything. Usually with both men together they had each others back. 

 

*******************

 

Carol was staring at the map glancing up to the road. Daryl was a good driver and so far they had not had to stop at all for snagged cars or anything in the way. She glanced at him then he spoke.

 

“We cleared some of the roads around here for a quick getaway. Five miles each way then it's all on us.” He told her.

 

“Well it doesn’t look like Carl come that far, it's a long way on foot but not that long in a car.” Carol said.

 

“Not long.” Carl said. “We just kept moving.”

 

They started to hit a few more abandoned cars and saw more walkers stumbling about. But whole and whole there was not a lot going on in the area driving up to the town where Carl said he left his father.

 

“How are we going to do this?” Daryl asked Carol. “Are we just going to drive up the street and park outside?”

 

“We did it like that when we were looting,” Carol said. Just park a couple down and we will watch for a bit and see if we see any problems.”

 

“We just stumbled into the first house. Dad was barely walking.” Carl said. “We had a car for a bit.”

 

“How far did you come?” Daryl asked. “Before this?”   
  


“The prison about forty miles from here.”

 

“All this time you been fifty or so miles away…. From Sophia?” Daryl wondered.

 

“Yes…”

 

They sat watching the house for ten minutes and finally Carl whispered and he didn’t know why he was whispering. “Let's go check it out.”

 

“Go slow.” Daryl said.

 

“Maybe you should keep watch…” Carol put her hand on his arm to stop him walking ahead. “He might see you as a threat. If we let Carl take the lead he will know everything’s ok.”

 

Carl was already up the steps and he knocked on the front door. He stood so he could be seen through the peephole knowing his dad would look out. He knocked again and finally they heard a voice inside.

 

“You’re not alone.”

 

“Its Carol…. And her boyfriend.” Carl said. 

 

Behind the door they heard the sounds of furniture being moved and finally there was a click of the front door being opened. Carl hugged his dad and moved him aside, beckoning for Carol and Daryl to follow him into the house. 

 

It was starting to get on in the day and Daryl was wondering if they should just make a run for it. It was a pretty straight shot for home and safety that he knew. 

 

“Judith?” Was all Rick said. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, he was holding his side and Carol wondered if his ribs were broken. His breathing was all over the place and he would probably need to be lying down to be transported back to the library, he looked like he was running a fever.

 

“She’s with Andrea… she’s safe.” Carol said.

 

“Is she?” Rick glanced up at her with a look in her eye. Daryl took a step forward like a guard dog to protect Carol for this man.

 

“Safer than Sophia was with you!” Daryl spat at the man who left his kid beside a stream in the middle of a walker infested woods. Rick stared at Daryl wondering who the hell he was, he looked dangerous and he was backing Carol. Carol also had his daughter and by the looks of it his sonn.

 

“Better than she was here… starving and relying on a teen to raise her.” Carol said. “I promise Carl we would come check you. I can see you are fine….”

 

“You coming with us or not arsehole?” Daryl spat at him.

 

“They have a good set up, safe and food for Judith.” Carl told him. “Its not far.”

 

Rick nodded that he would go with them. He didn’t have a choice and he knew he wasn’t running this show. Carol was running it and her boyfriend that was glaring at him like he wanted to kill him.

 

“Are your ribs broken?” Carol asked Rick.

 

“I don’t think so…”

 

“Anything broken?” Daryl asked him. “How much of a liability are you going to be?”

 

“I don’t know.” Rick said quietly, “I only woke up last night and my kids were gone. I’ve been out for days.”

 

“A week.” Carl said. “Maybe more.”

 

“How many were left?” Carol asked Rick.

 

Rick knew she was asking how many people died at the prison after she and Andrea left. They tried to stop the spread of the virus but that was when Rick left them on the side of the road a month ago.

 

“Maggie… Glenn. Tyreese, Sasha and Bob.” Rick told her.

 

“Everyone else died?”

 

“They kept turning and no one was putting them down.” Carl said.

“Carl…” Rick warned.

 

“Let's get this show on the road.” Daryl said. “Carl come cover me while I bring the car around.”

 

Rick frowned as Carl moved quickly to follow Daryl. They slunk out the front door and Carl stood watch as Daryl slipped down the street bringing the SUV along to the front of the house. He left it running and went back to help Carol get Rick into the back of it. They were going to have to clear some space and settle him down into the back so he could lie flat.

 

“Anything here you need to take?” He asked Rick. Rick shook his head and picked up a machete and his gun off the coffee table. Carol took the lead as Daryl put his arm around Rick to help him down the steps. They took them one at a time, Rick looked like he was going to faint by the time he arrived at the bottom step. He was standing close to Daryl staring at him.

 

“Who did your hair? What is that? Highlights?” Rick asked him swaying in the wind as Daryl let him take a moment to get his breath back.

 

“Sophia… remember her?” Daryl told him. Rick’s face paled. “A bit of help here!” He called out as Rick began to sway for the ground. Carl rushed and slipped under his father's other arm and held him up and together they managed to get him into the back of the SVU. Daryl handed him a bottle of water and some pills. A lot of pills.

 

“What are they?” Rick took them anyway.

 

“Antibiotics… pain meds and codeine.” Daryl said. Carol come around with some food. She handed him some of the stewed jarred apples and a pack of crackers they had. 

 

“You need to eat. Then sleep ok. Eat that.” Carol told him. They heard Carl call incoming and Daryl shut the door on Rick and looked about the SVU at three walkers stumbling along the street. 

 

He debated leaving them but Carl was already moving to put them down. Carol stood there knowing she would be more of a liability, she moved and climbed in the drivers seat while Daryl followed Carl shooting one with a bolt.

 

“Move Carl… there's more coming….” He called out. A small herd turned the courner into the street. Carl listened and turned back running faster than Daryl back to the truck climbing into the back seat. Carol drove forwards picking up Daryl then she looked at Daryl wondering what to do. They were covering the whole road and they didn’t want to go further up the street.

 

“Put your seat belts on and we floor it.” Daryl told her.

 

Carol did what she was told heading for the lone one on the  left put her foot down and it flipped over the front of the truck and stayed there growling for a good mile up the road until they could safely stop and put it down. Daryl swapped seats with Carol and they continued their way back.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	19. Chapter 19

“I an’t stopping for no chick waving a fucken sword!” Daryl yelled at Carl.

 

Carl was screaming at Daryl to stop the SVU and pick up the three stumbling people on the side of the road.

 

“No fucken way. She could take us all out with that thing!” Daryl told him. 

 

“Well slow down so I can jump out!” Carl yelled back, Daryl didn’t slow and Carl opened the door preparing to jump, Daryl hissed and pulled over on the side of the road. That kid was going to get them all killed.

 

Daryl stopped fully and glanced at Carol who was watching in her side mirror at the small group walking hesitently towards the SVU.

 

“You know them?”

 

“Yeah… they were part of the group at the prison. They are good people. Its Rick that lost his goddamn mind.” Carol whispered, she climbed out of the front of the truck and pulled out her knife in case them stopping alerted walkers to where they were.

 

Daryl sat watching as the kid ran to them all hugging them. Carol hugged them and helped them into the truck. She climbed back into the front and turned sideways on her seat. Daryl was pissed he didn’t think they had the resources for an extra four people.

 

He noted the brunette sitting on the Asian guys lap and raised his eyebrows to Carol.

 

“This is Daryl… Glenn, Maggie and the chick with the sword is Michonne.” Carol said. They nodded their thanks. Carl reached across the back of the seats grabbing the bottled water handing it to them.

 

“Thanks.” Glenn said. The others nodded their thanks.

 

“Lets get this shit moving.” Daryl started the truck up and started moving. “Not stopping for no other prick.”

 

“Daryl…” Carol said quietly, she put her hand on his leg wondering why he was annoyed.

 

“We need to get going she’s going to be worried.”   
  


They drove off Michonne and Maggie looked at each other wondering what was going on and who this strange guy Carol had with her was.

 

“Fine we won’t stop for any more of my friends on the side of the road.” Carol said quietly.

 

Glenn, Maggie and Michonne looked at each other and could see a tiny little spat going on in the front seat.

 

“Sorry I probably should have text you and asked for a ride.” Glenn stated. “But you know how it is.”   
  


“Glenn,” Maggie hissed at them.

 

“So where are we going?” Maggie asked.

 

“Town up ahead about five miles.” Daryl stated. “You best not be an arsehole or I’m gonna kick your arse like that fucker I’m gonna kick in the trunk!”

 

Maggie, Michonne and Glenn looked over the back seat and saw Rick Grimes lying there either dead or passed out. He was a mess of bruising.

 

“Did you do that?” Michonne asked.

 

“What do you think I am?” Carol asked her.

 

“Well Rick said you killed Karin and David, thats why he left you and Andrea out. She said she wouldn’t come back if he left you behind.” Maggie said.

 

Carol glanced Carl’s way.

 

“So you thought I decided to beat Rick half to death?” Carol asked calmly.

 

“No… I don’t know.” Maggie said.

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you hear, right kid?” Daryl said. 

 

Carl glanced up seeing Daryl’s eyes meeting his in the mirror. He didn’t say a word just started watching out the window. Everyone was quiet in the SUV, it was an uncomfortable silence that Carol didn’t like. THe calm before the storm. She just didn’t know who was going to storm first. Daryl or the crew from the prison.

 

They drove in silence until they hit the library.

 

*****************************

  
  
  
  


Sophia was standing on the rooftop it was starting to become dusk. She was desperate for her dad and mom to come home. She needed them more than she needed anyone else. Merle had been trying to reason with her that it could take a few days for them to come back. Rick could have moved on or anything could happen. They might even have to walk back. Sophia didn’t listen to him she just stood on the rooftop watching with binoculars watching and waiting for her parents to come home.

 

She thought she saw a flicker of movement off to the left in the woods and she took her eyes off the road that she should have been looking at. Now she was straining to see what was making its way into town on foot. She could see they were people and not walkers. She needed to get her dad up there to look.

 

She raced down the fire escape and ran inside calling her dad to come up high to see what she could see.

 

Merle watched and saw what Sophia could see. Three dark skinned people making their way through the woods, Merle frowned. He didn’t know if they were good people or bad people. 

 

“Go down and ask Andrea if she knows them. Two black dudes, one with a beanie and big and looks like he just smashed a walker with a hammer and I don’t know describe them.” 

 

Sophia ran down the fire escape again. She asked Andrea if she knew anything about the people coming their way. Andrea just stared at Sophia. 

 

“I’ll need to look. Help me up.” 

 

Sophia glanced at the baby asleep in the porta cot and Sophia helped her out through the kitchen window. Sophia walked up the fire escape behind Andrea hoping to stop her from falling if she couldn’t stop her from falling down she might just break her fall.

 

Merle helped her over the ledge. He past her the binoculars and Andrea looked in the direction he was pointing.

 

“Its Tyrees and Sasha his sister. I have no idea who the other guy is but if he’s with them he should be fine.” Andrea said.

 

Merle run his hand over his head wondering how to get their attention without going down there. Sophia handed him a c.d and suggested he use it to reflect the light in their direction and they could see them.

 

Merle started flicking it like morse code hoping that they would attract their attention. The man that Andrea didn’t know looked in their direction, picking up a stick they could tell he was writing it down. The other woman and man looked at what he was saying.

 

*******************

 

“What is it?” Sasha asked.

 

“I’m sure that light someone is trying to talk to us.” Bob picked up a stick writing in the dirt.

 

“T…. Y…. come…. A…. N…. D….R...A…” Bob said. “Do you know a Andrea? Or Andra?”

 

Sasha and Ty looked at each other. They nodded and headed towards the reflecting light hoping they were not walking into a trap. 

  
One group was coming from one direction and another new group was coming from the other and everyone was converging on the library. 


	20. Chapter 20

Daryl drove into the library. 

 

“Are you fucken kidden me.” Merle was standing there alongside a black man with a hammer. Daryl let fly a string of swear words. “Is this camp kumbaya or something?”

 

“OMG,” Michonne was out of the car flinging herself at the man by Merle, Maggie and Glenn tumbled out the other side. 

 

“Are you fucken kidding me?” Merle asked when three extra people fell out of the SVU. “You can’t be fucken Rick Grimes!” He was glaring at Glenn.

 

“No I’m Glenn.”

 

Merle frowned and glared at everyone standing there.

 

“What the fuck Daryl… where you get all these people… did you find Rick Grimes.” 

 

“Yeah he’s in the trunk… he’s out of it on pain meds.” Daryl told him.

 

“You have Rick in the trunk?” The black man standing with Michonne asked. 

 

“Be my guest. I’ve done my bit you sort him out.” Daryl said, he held his arm out for Carol to go with him, he was keen to check on Sophia and try figure out what they were going to do with an extra seven people. They had to feed and get them all somewhere to sleep.

 

Carl was busy trying to get his dad out of the back of the SUV and Ty and Glenn tried to rouse him enough to get him up the stairs. He was a dead weight. 

 

“I think maybe set him up a bed down here or we put him on a camp stretcher and move him that way.” Merle said when he looked in the back of the SUV at the man they had gone after. “Be the best option… Daryl come on help!”

 

Daryl was pissed about the whole situation. He didn’t know Rick and he didn’t like him full stop for what he did to Carol. He couldn’t stand the fact they were going out to help him when bad things happened to Sophia and Carol because of him.

 

“Fine!” Daryl went upstairs to get the camp stretcher to use the get the man up to the main floor. He knew they were going to be running about trying to get this man better. He needed to be better so Daryl could kick his arse anyway.

 

Sophia run to Daryl body slamming him thankful he was home and safe. She moved onto Carol and hugged her too. She looked over her shoulder seeing Glenn, Maggie and Michonne coming into the room.

 

“Glenn?” Sophia asked before moving to hug him too. Glenn stood there puzzled.

 

“Sophia?” Glenn asked. “Its Sophia?” He looked at Carol and she nodded that she knew it was Sophia.

 

“Alive no thanks to you short round!” Daryl hissed at Glenn.

 

“We looked. We looked for days.” Glenn tried to explain.

 

“Well you didn’t look hard enough!” Daryl growled at him.

 

“Dad!” Sophia put her hand on his arm to calm him down. 

 

“K Soph… go get Carl. He's downstairs with his old man. We going to get this stretcher to get him up here ok. Get him out because its going to be  a mission.” Daryl told Sophia. Carol put her hand on Daryl’s back.  “I’m Calm… I’m calm.”

 

“Daryl…”

 

“Just all these people… where are we going to put all these people?” Daryl wondered.

 

“We will block off some streets. Use the other buildings but tonight… we will double up ok.” Carol told him.

 

**************************************************

 

Later that night Carol and Daryl curled up around each other on a single mattress on the floor on the ground floor of the library. Merle was on a couch and Andrea was still where she had been sleeping since they arrived. Sophia was sound asleep on another mattress on the floor behind some shelves. 

 

Tyreese and Michonne said they would take watch from the rooftop. Daryl thought it made sense because with more of them in the library the walkers would start to smell them. Daryl was going to take a shift in a few hours and everyone who was able were going to take turns until they managed to figure something out.

 

“What the hell is going on, we can’t have all these people here.” Daryl whispered into her ear. They had sat up long enough for Sophia to fall asleep and Merle had been running about watching Rick.

 

They had put him into the small room off the main library. Carol had cleaned him up with Merle and they hoped he wasn’t going to get a infection. Daryl wasn’t happy about it. Maggie had taken Judith upstairs with her and Glenn and Carl was sleeping with his dad in the small room. Merle had tied one of his wrists to the headboard incase he died and turned during the night. They kept the door open so they could hear anything going on. Carl was well enough away from his dad that he could sleep safely without fear of anything happening to him if his father did turn.

 

Carol rolled onto her other side to face him, she leaned in to kiss him hoping that might calm him slightly. “Shush… we will think about it tomorrow. But now we are all safe and there’s plenty of food.”

 

“Are you trying to distract me?” He kissed her back and lifted his head and looked about he could hear whispers echoing around the library. 

 

“Not that distracting.” Carol gave him a quick kiss and cuddled into him. “I promise we will work something out.”

 

“Can I kick Grimes arse? For hurting Soph and throwing you out?”

 

Carol kissed him slowly, “We need to get him better first. Lets just get through tomorrow first.”

 


	21. Chapter 21

Daryl’s eyes opened as he heard soft foot fall pass by him. No one else would of heard it he was sure. He turned his head slightly and Merle lifted his head.  They heard it from the moment the first footstep fell on the floor that someone was sneaking over towards Sophia. That someone being a horny teenaged boy and they were not buying into that.

 

“You wanna kick his arse or should I do it?” Merle asked him.

 

Both of them heard Carl’s soft footsteps  heading towards Sophia’s bed.

 

“That boy has big balls.” Daryl whispered both men moving to get out of bed.

 

“Don’t,” Carol whispered. “Leave it. Nothing’s going to happen.”

 

“How do you know.” Daryl whispered.

 

“I don’t but I think they both don’t want both of you going over there. I’ll go.” Carol whispered. She didn’t want a big argument breaking out with everyone in the middle of the night. 

 

“You put one hand on my daughter I will kill you.” Merle called out.

 

Carol giggled into Daryl's neck and quick footsteps shuffled across the floor back to the other room. She held onto Daryl’s arm to stop him from getting out of the bed and going and kicking Carl’s arse. Merle and Daryl both groaned about the high jinks of the two and knew they would have to keep a better eye on them.

 

“You both are embarrassing.” Sophia called out.

 

“Go to fucken sleep.” Merle growled. “Both ya.”

 

“Everyone shush…” Carol said in a loud whisper, “Before the dead come.”

 

Everyone settled down to sleep and Carol felt Daryl move after a while swapping shifts on the rooftop. He and Bob were taking the next shift, and Carol heard the footsteps of Ty coming in with Michonne. They heard them shuffling about and they both went and checked on Rick giving him some more medication and checking in with Carl. Both Tyreese and Michonne bedded down together just outside the room on some mattresses that Merle and Bob had retrieved from the bed shop across the road. Carol tried to pretend she couldn’t hear them having sex. She pulled a pillow over her head to block the quiet noise out.

 

*********************

Daryl walked around on the roof wondering what he was doing up there. They hadn’t been doing watches up there since they first arrive keeping an eye out for people. There were some walkers stumbling about in the street, more than usual, unfortunatly it wasn’t usually the walkers they had to worry about now. It was the people.

 

Merle had gone down to get them something hot to drink, he heard footsteps on the fire excape and knew it wasn’t Merle. It was Carol coming up. She had a couple of blankets in one arm and a thermous in the other, no doubt filled with coffee. 

 

“You swap?” Daryl asked, taking a blanket and spreading it around her shoulders. He took the coffee and poured them both a cup.

 

“Kinda… he’s chasing Carl around down there. It appears he might have slipped across when I fell asleep… sorry… but they both had their clothes on and were actually sleeping.” Carol said. “I don’t know what to do or what we should do. Should we even be stopping them from being together?”

 

“Yes… she’s just a kid.”

 

“She’s no a kid… and things are different now… I don’t think they are going to have sex or anything but if it gives them comfort to sleep by each other what the harm.” Carol said. “I mean… things are … I mean… we could all be dead tomorrow.”

 

“No…”

 

“Ok… just… I’m scared they might sneak off… Carl has this habit of wandering off…. And if they both go, they could get into trouble.” Carol said.

 

“He wanders off?” Daryl handed her her cup of coffee, he started drinking his own cup then shivered.

 

“Blanket?” 

 

Daryl didn’t pick up the other blanket and instead he stepped into the blanket carol had wrapped around herself. He kissed her.

 

“I think we need to lighten up then. I don’t want Soph wandering off. Merle will go crazy if she wanders off on her own with that boy.” Daryl said. “But we need to keep a better eye on them. Maybe they can sleep side by side in the middle of everyone so he wouldnt’ dare touch her.” Daryl was forming a plan to scare Carl so he wouldn’t dare wander off with Sophia. 

  
  
  



	22. Chapter 22

 

“Come down here you little shit!” Merle Dixon hissed at Carl Grimes. 

 

“NO! Not until you calm down… We weren’t doing nothing.” Carl hissed back from his position up the side of a building next to the library, he had pulled the fire escape up to stop Merle from smacking him. He’d chased him out of the library when he caught him playing around under the covers with Sophia. Carl was halfway up the side of the next building up the fire escape.  He had no weapons and basically had been caught with his pants down by Merle Dixon.

 

“Bullshit, get your little pervie arse down here.” Merle called up the ladder, he wished he grabbed Daryl’s crossbow on his way out the window after the horny teenager. He knew no good would come of leaving Sophia and Carl alone but Carol seemed to think they could trust them. 

 

“Oh my god…” Carl tried to say, he saw Tyreese coming out on the street and Michonne came out on the rooftop keeping an eye on the situation. Tyreese tried to keep an eye on the situation and any roaming walkers that could be coming towards the noise.

 

“Come on man… they are just kids…” Tyreese tried to say. “We need to get back inside or on the roof.”

 

“How would you feel walking in on someone feeling up your kid? Your sister?” Merle asked him, Tyreese shook his head not wanting to answer that question. His sister was older than Carl and Sophia so he wasn’t to worried about it though he didn’t like to think about it.

 

“Carl get down here now before we attract any attention.” Tyreese said.

 

“Only if he puts the gun down.” Carl said pointing to Merle who had pulled a gun out of the back of his pants to threaten Carl more.

 

“Come on man.” Tyreese said holding out his hand.

 

Merle handed over the gun and stomped back off inside. Tyreese indicated to the boy to come down and told him to stick to him like glue because he wasn’t sure he could protect him if Daryl or Merle caught him alone. Carl understood that very quickly.

****************************************

 

Carol and Daryl came back from a short run to the orchards to find a fuming Merle and Sophia sulking trying to tell them that they did nothing wrong. Tyreese had Carl with him and Carl was one step behind Tyreese everywhere he went. Almost like he didn’t want to be caught alone by anyone.

 

Carol sighed when she heard from Merle what had happened and Daryl was seeing red. Carol sent both men to the rooftop to calm down while she had a think. Carol decided that for the moment Sophia should sleep with her so they could keep an eye on them. She really didn’t want to sleep with Sophia but she needed both the teens to have a pretty clear understanding of what the possible outcomes could be considering running about having unprotected sex with each other. It could and possibly would end up in pregnancy that they could ill afford with a teen right now. They needed to get everyone settled into new lodgings so they were not all living on top of each other and somehow find a way to heat the places where they were living. 

 

She also had a long strong talk to Sophia about birth control and the fact that having a baby or falling pregnant at the moment was a risk that they all should not be taking. She talked to her until she was over the whole topic. She really couldn’t think of anything else to say because she didn’t want them having sex because of the risk of having a pregnancy in the times that they live in. She talked to her about family planning and withdrawal methods because there wasn't a great deal of condoms around and it could be possible that any they found on the shelves anywhere could be perished.

 

Sophia groaned when Carol explained it to her. Sophia was blushing bright red talking in depth about sex. Andrea and Michonne decided to help Carol out and have a chat with her as well as her mother.

 

Carl was getting the evil eye from Daryl and Merle, neither one of them were going to give him any sex advice on how to have sex with Sophia or what he should be using. They would rather not give him any information that could deflower their little girl. 

 

In the end Carol and Tyreese took Carl aside and had a big long chat with him in private. The poor boy had his face in his hands blushing like mad as Carol explained withdrawal method to him as she had done with Sophia. Tyreese glanced at Carol and rolled his eyes as the teen was getting so embarrassed about everything.

 

“Do you have any questions Carl?” Carol asked him.

 

“I’m not going to hurt her… or do anything she doesn’t want to do.” Carl stated. “Daryl can’t really shoot me can he… you won’t let him?”

 

Tyreese laughed, “No man… no guy wants to think of their little girl growing up… and if we were back the way were were I’d say keep up at school and go to prom… but you two, you might be the only two around your age you ever might run into. I don’t think its right for us to keep you apart. My suggestion is don’t have sex.”

 

“Don’t have sex, if you want to fool around try and be discreet about it.” Carol said. “Away from her dads… I’m not giving you the go ahead but I don’t want you sneaking off either. So… maybe later you and Sophia can have some time… like go on watch on the roof together. But at the moment I think its best that Sophia sleeps by me.”

 

“We arn’t going to you know anyway…” Carl said.

 

“Thats what we all say kid… and then we do…” Tyreese said. He stood up and stretched and went looking for Daryl and Merle to see if they calmed down at all.

 

****************************************

 

“Why you letting them be together?” Daryl asked Carol when he come storming down from the rooftop after Sophia told him her Mom said that Carl and her could take watch and she needed him down now.

 

“Because… I don’t want them sneaking around… and we just gave them the sex talks to end all sex talks and that…” Carol didn’t finish her sentence.

 

“He’s a teenaged boy… he just wants to…” Daryl shut his mouth real fast when Carol held up her finger.

 

“Please… your reaction is normal… no one will ever be good enough for you or Merle for her. No one will be good enough but Carl’s a good kid… he is.” Carol said calmly, “He’s not going to do anything to hurt her. I think by giving them some time alone… but not enough time alone that they can hit a home run is the only option we have right now so they don’t sneak off.”

 

“Why do you make so much sense?” Daryl grumbled.

 

“I don’t… I want to lock them both up, it was Tyreese’s idea, and Michonne agreed with it all. We had a big chat with Sophia and I think we have scared her off childbirth for a long time especially childbirth on the side of the road. So here’s hoping if we let them have time together alone they won’t do anything stupid.”

 

“Well you can tell Merle.” Daryl mumbled.

 

“Oh no… you tell him he’s your brother.” Carol said, she shook her head and tried not to laugh as Daryl advanced on her, they glanced about they were alone in the kitchen and he backed her right up against the wall and kissed her quickly.

 

“So…” Daryl said. “I might need you to help me for a minute in the garage.”

 

“A whole minute….” Carol teased him. “Smooth talker.”

 

“Shut up…” He kissed her again. “But really I need you to help me with a problem in the garage.”

 

“A problem…”

 

“Um…”

 

“I just gave the kids the sneaking off having sex I don’t have to talk to you too do I?” Carol asked him.

 

“Come downstairs and I’ll show you and you can decide if I need to have a sex talk or not.” Daryl said with a laugh.

 

She followed Daryl downstairs anyway. Carol gave Tyreese a wave to send him up to check on the kids without Merle having to go up there. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	23. Chapter 23

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*********************

 

“No way,” Carl said, “Your dad’s gonna kill me.” Sophia tried to lean in to kiss Carl and he put his hands up and backed away from her.

 

“Which one?” Sophia asked him.

 

“Both of them, he was gonna shoot me Sophia.” Carl said. “And the other one has a crossbow, no one will hear him kill me until it too late.”

 

“You are over exaggerating a bit aren't you?” Sophia said. 

 

They were walking around the rooftop holding hands watching over the sides of the building and out to the distance seeing if there was anything coming their way. There were more walkers than usual wandering about and it made sense since there was more people in the building that more walkers would follow the smell of food.

 

“So you were with them since we lost you?” Carl asked her.

 

“Not really, about five days after. I actually hid from them when they came into the house I was in. I didn’t know they were good or… bad.” Sophia said. “But they were good. They just still think I’m a little girl.”

 

“Don’t remind me your mom and Tyreese gave me a sex talk. I’ve never been so embarrassed.” Carl said. He glanced over his shoulder and could see Tyreese and Michonne coming up to the roof top. They knew it was to keep an eye on them. They were tracking Sophia and Carl with their eyes keeping an eye on them.

 

“Where’s Merle?” Carl asked Michonne.

 

“Hunting with Bob.” Michonne said. “Bob thought going out and killing something might calm him down some.”

 

Carl nodded and he felt better knowing the older Dixon was out. Carol’s mom was keeping Daryl away for them for a while. He actually began to relax for a while.

 

“But we are keeping an eye on you Carl so don’t even think about it.” Tyreese said.

 

Carl rolled his eyes at at Tyreese.

 

******************************************************************8

 

Daryl was doing up his pants looking across the back seat of his truck he had been using looking at Carol who was dressing. They had gone at it like teenagers in the back seat of his truck. He watched her as she put her bra back on. They both were panting because they were still recovering from their adventurous sex acts.

 

“Longer than a minute.” Daryl said looking her up and down.

 

“Two minutes…”

 

“Get away with ya.” Daryl said. 

 

“Ok… I’ll give you three.” Carol giggled as Daryl lunged at her for being cheeky. He kissed her deeply and moved back down her neck kissing her as he went. “I give, I give… We have to get up and sort out everything for dinner.”

 

“Good, it was still longer than a minute.” Daryl kissed her again and helped her put on her shirt.

 

“I told you it was three… stop fishing for compliments,” Carol giggled as she slipped out of the truck. Her hand went to her hip as she looked around out of habit. Daryl slipped out behind her putting his hand to her hip, he dipped his head and kissed her neck.

 

“Ok, lets go check up on the kids and the others,” Daryl said.

 

“You need to stop harassing Carl.”

 

“Hm… I’ll think about it. I’m still going to glare at him.” Daryl said.

 

**********************************************

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	24. Chapter 24

 

Two days later saw Rick Grimes make his way into the makeshift shower being supported by Tyreese and Glenn. He was still unsteady on his feet but Merle thought that had more to do with that he hadn’t actually eaten in a while and they had been keeping him hydrated via a drip.

 

Carol moved about making a soup for him. All while she was doing this for Rick, Daryl was sitting with a sour face because he still wanted to punch Rick’s lights out.

 

“Why are you doing this for him anyway?”

 

“Because everyone else is busy and he needs to start eating.” Carol told him quietly. “Please, he’s got two children that need him to be ok.”

 

“Fine but you are not spoon feeding it into him.”

 

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Carol told him. 

 

We need to work on a plan. We all can’t live here. I want them all in there own place or somewhere,” Daryl said.

 

“What about a catwalk between the buildings. So we don’t spend much time on the ground.” Carol suggested. “We could take some trucks and find some fencing and fence off some of the small town to keep us safe. And what about fencing off some of the farm to keep us safe while we are working on vegetables? What about meat?”

 

Daryl shook his head and he didn’t really know what to do. They had enough food short term. They had places for people to stay over the summer while it was warm but when it got cold he didn’t know how they were all going to keep warm. He had no idea.

 

He knew he had enough food for Carol, Andrea, Sophia and Merle for over a year but multiply that over the rest of the group the food would go within three months.

 

“We need to find more food.” Daryl said.

 

“More blankets, and warmer clothes. More clothes for the baby.” Carol said.

 

“Beds…” Daryl suggested.

 

“You have a bed…”

 

“I don’t have a bed. Someone else is sleeping in it right now. I have a couch.” Daryl told her.

 

“Only because you want to keep an eye on Sophia.” Carol said. “We need to sit down and make a plan with everyone. Start to sort it out.” Carol stirred the soup some more and tipped it into a cup so Rick could drink it rather than dealing with a spoon.

 

“Someone has to keep an eye on her.” Daryl grumbled.

 

“Ok you can take this soup to Rick. I’m going to go up to the roof and take over from Andrea. If you want to later we can have a private chat in your truck after we have a planning meeting with everyone. So we can brainstorm ideas and come up with a plan for winter.” Carol handed him the soup and headed out the kitchen window up the fire escape to the roof before Daryl could say anything.

 

***************************************************

 

Later that evening they were all sitting around in the bottom of the library trying to come up with a plan for the months ahead. First thing they had to think about was planting vegetables and coming up with a way of keeping themselves safe while working on the farm.

 

They sent Sophia and Carl to the rooftop to keep watch. Carol could see Rick was zoning in and out of what was being talked about. Tyreese talked him into going back to bed and sleeping for a bit and they would let him know what their plans were going to be if they actually made any plans.

 

Daryl and Merle told them about the farm nearby that they had been growing some food in the glass houses but they would need more food stored for the whole group. Hard root vegetables that they could store in the dark cooled areas. Onions, garlic and other things that could help with sickness.

  
Tomorrow they decided to go check out some nearby farms to figure out where they could grow food without much effort. Some of the farms had water or could have access to water for growing. Daryl gave Carol a nod to come with her and have a private talk in the garage.


	25. Chapter 25

  
  


Two weeks later Rick was up and walking around slowly, he was able to care for Judith. That in itself took a great deal of pressure off everyone else. They were trying to clear the building next door and set it up for the rest of the group.

 

It quickly became apparent that there were too many people living in a small space especially when they saw that Daryl didn’t like Rick. They needed to split them all up. Glenn, Daryl and Tyreese had taken some beds across and moved them to the top floor of the building next door. Merle and Andrea working with Maggie and Michonne had made a rope bridge between the two buildings. They used wood and sorted out a bridge that would support their weight and make it easy to move from one building to the other quite easily. 

 

Carol went with Bob and Sophia to gather some food from the fields nearby. Daryl, Merle and Sophia had done a great job and planning ahead for food. The problem was that there was enough food for the three of them but now there were more people. Daryl was talking about rooftop gardens. They just didn’t know how they were going to pull it off. 

 

Merle had a plan that if they worked with a pulley system of getting the dirt to the roof top. They had raided the gardening store for seeds and glass houses. Between the small group they were gearing up for a good winter. The only problem was going to be heating. 

 

Carol came back with Bob and Sophia and was sitting at a desk in the library reading a book on the olden days on fires and heating homes. From what she could tell they really needed to have a good wood supply and fire’s were they could. She had been sitting for an hour when Daryl came across and sat down across from her

 

“What are you looking up?” He asked turning one of the books over.

 

“Heat… fires, how to go about heating for the building next door.” Carol said.

 

“We planning on staying here long term?”

 

“I think so… what do you think?” Carol asked him.

 

“I think… I think if we can work out with all the food growing on the rooftops we might never have to go down to ground for a while.” Daryl said. “We can keep the baby safe and any kids that come along.”

 

“Kids?” 

 

“Well there’s Judith and its not like anyone is using protection. We have to think about five years down the track.”

 

“Do you think this will last that long?” Carol asked him, he held her stare. “Really no end in sight.

 

“I think soon people are going to turn on each other to take what others have. If we can keep our supplies up high out of plain sight it will look like we have nothing. If we can set it up so everything is on the buildings roof tops no one will know what we have. If we can get dirt up high we can even grow grass… get bees on one of the roof tops and have flowers and shit to help the vegetables grow.”

 

“Did you always want to be a farmer?” Carol almost teased him.

 

“No but I like to eat.” Daryl’s stomach growled.

 

“So we need to gather stuff and start growing food for the winter. We have a couple of months before it gets really cold. Will we have enough time?” Carol asked him.

 

“I think we need to preserve food and fruit. Freeze some if we can. Freeze meat. We need to set up some more freezers in some of the homes about with solar power still working. We can store food in some of those places. And in the basement here its dark and freezing down there over winter we can store some root vegetables.”

  
Carol and Daryl sat making a plan. It was going to be tough and busy over the next few months to prepare for winter. Looking for food already growing and that they could start storing already. They had a small group so far but they may consider taking in more people as they come upon them food was the most important thing they needed, and clothing. They needed to plan a run to a bigger clothing store in a town a few towns over. They were going to have to prepare for that too. 


	26. Chapter 26

 

They split up into four teams. Carol, Daryl, Andrea and Merle along with Sophia were a team. The others made themselves up into three groups. One group had to stay behind at all times to care for Judith. They took turns at staying home with the baby so no one was left out of the preperations for the winter months that were coming.

 

Tyreese and Sasha worked together putting in a fire and heating systems into the two buildings either side of the library so that they could keep warm and keep some distance between them all over the coming months so they didn’t quickly tire because of living together they were starting to get on each others nerves.

 

Bob, Rick and Glenn along with Maggie and Michonne worked on walk ways up off the ground between the buildings while Carol’s group headed out and about gathering supplies to plant on the roof tops.

 

They were in a backyard of a nearby home when one lonely walker come around the corner. Daryl quickly took care of it he was on watch while Carol and Sophia were tending the food inside the glasshouse. Merle was planting a patch of potatoes. It was later in the season but they had already had one crop and they had stored them in a darkened room in the building Rick and his group were going to live in so they wouldn’t go bad. They hoped they could grow more food to store. When they had finished there they were going to move onto the next house where they were planting carrots and other hard root vegetables to grow. 

 

Andrea was working on a pump that was pumping water up from the well that could water the plants on a timer that she had found in the garage. Since just about the whole town ran on solar power it was easier to get things to work their way. Daryl was keeping an eye on all of them. The job was ok because the yard was fully fenced all he had to do was watch one blind spot which was open for walkers to get through.

 

Keeping Sophia in their group meant that it gave her some time away from Carl which all the adults thought she needed because it was easy to get swept up with the relationship when you were spending all the time in each others pockets. Carol and Daryl understood this because they were head over heels for each other and Merle and Andrea had quickly become a thing. 

 

“I think we are done here for now anyway. We should head back its starting to get really hot.” Carol come out of the glass house. Both her and Sophia were covered in a covering of sweat. Andrea set the sprinkler system to go off for half an hour a day in the glasshouse and was still setting up a system to go off on the potatos.

 

“Maybe you can have a wash in the creek?” Daryl suggested, “Before we head back.”

 

“I’m up for that.” Merle was sweating badly and he came up to see what they were talking about. They waited another ten minutes for Andrea to finish then they headed through the back gate with Merle leading the way and Daryl bringing up the rear to the small creek out the back of the fence line.

 

They spent some time watching and looking about before the girls stripped to underwear and tee shirts to dip in the cool water. Merle and Daryl stood watch while they took a quick dip and cleaned up. They came out and pulled on their dirty clothes again and Merle and Daryl took five minutes to dip in the water.

 

The women kept watch for them as they washed the sweat off their skin and dunked their heads under the water.

  
Soon the five of them were walking back to the library, quietly, not talking keeping an eye out for any changes or walkers about. There had been more walkers coming through their way. They put it down to the fact that there were more people about and the walkers could sniff them out. They didn’t want to take any chances at all with running into walkers or getting cut off from the rest of the family.


End file.
